Effects of nuclear structure in the spin-dependent scattering of weakly interacting massive particles

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Nikolaev, M. A.; Klapdor-Kleingrothaus, H. V.

1993-06-01

We present calculations of the nuclear from factors for spin-dependent elastic scattering of dark matter WIMPs from123Te and131Xe isotopes, proposed to be used for dark matter detection. A method based on the theory of finite Fermi systems was used to describe the reduction of the single-particle spin-dependent matrix elements in the nuclear medium. Nucleon single-particle states were calculated in a realistic shell model potential; pairing effects were treated within the BCS model. The coupling of the lowest single-particle levels in123Te to collective 2+ excitations of the core was taken into account phenomenologically. The calculated nuclear form factors are considerably less then the single-particle ones for low momentum transfer. At high momentum transfer some dynamical amplification takes place due to the pion exchange term in the effective nuclear interaction. But as the momentum transfer increases, the difference disappears, the momentum transfer increases and the quenching effect disappears. The shape of the nuclear form factor for the131Xe isotope differs from the one obtained using an oscillator basis.

Single-particle potential of the Λ hyperon in nuclear matter with chiral effective field theory NLO interactions including effects of Y N N three-baryon interactions

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Kohno, M.

2018-03-01

Adopting hyperon-nucleon and hyperon-nucleon-nucleon interactions parametrized in chiral effective field theory, single-particle potentials of the Λ and Σ hyperons are evaluated in symmetric nuclear matter and in pure neutron matter within the framework of lowest-order Bruckner theory. The chiral NLO interaction bears strong Λ N -Σ N coupling. Although the Λ potential is repulsive if the coupling is switched off, the Λ N -Σ N correlation brings about the attraction consistent with empirical data. The Σ potential is repulsive, which is also consistent with empirical information. The interesting result is that the Λ potential becomes shallower beyond normal density. This provides the possibility of solving the hyperon puzzle without introducing ad hoc assumptions. The effects of the Λ N N -Λ N N and Λ N N -Σ N N three-baryon forces are considered. These three-baryon forces are first reduced to normal-ordered effective two-baryon interactions in nuclear matter and then incorporated in the G -matrix equation. The repulsion from the Λ N N -Λ N N interaction is of the order of 5 MeV at normal density and becomes larger with increasing density. The effects of the Λ N N -Σ N N coupling compensate the repulsion at normal density. The net effect of the three-baryon interactions on the Λ single-particle potential is repulsive at higher densities.

A 1H NMR method for the analysis of antigen-antibody interactions: binding of a peptide fragment of lysozyme to anti-lysozyme monoclonal antibody.

PubMed

Ito, W; Nishimura, M; Sakato, N; Fujio, H; Arata, Y

1987-09-01

A proton nuclear magnetic resonance (NMR) study is reported of the molecular structural basis of antigen-antibody interactions. An immunologically reactive proteolytic fragment corresponding to one of the antigenic regions on hen egg-white lysozyme (HEL) was used in combination with a monoclonal antibody that recognizes this site. Using spin diffusion, we prepared an antibody in which the magnetization of the antigen binding site was saturated by non-specific nuclear Overhauser effect. Under these conditions the effect of the saturation of the antibody was observed to spread over the peptide fragment through the antigen binding site. On the basis of the results obtained for the intermolecular nuclear Overhauser effect, we discuss how the peptide fragment interacts with the antibody. The side chains of aromatic residues, Trp, Tyr, and His, and of ionic residues, especially Arg, Lys, and Glu, are suggested to be important in the antigen-antibody interaction.

Rapid, portable detection of endocrine disrupting chemicals through ligand-nuclear hormone receptor interactions.

PubMed

Hunt, J Porter; Schinn, Song-Min; Jones, Matthew D; Bundy, Bradley C

2017-12-04

Endocrine disrupting chemicals (EDC) are structurally diverse compounds that can interact with nuclear hormone receptors, posing significant risk to human and ecological health. Unfortunately, many conventional biosensors have been too structure-specific, labor-intensive or laboratory-oriented to detect broad ranges of EDC effectively. Recently, several technological advances are providing more rapid, portable, and affordable detection of endocrine-disrupting activity through ligand-nuclear hormone receptor interactions. Here, we overview these recent advances applied to EDC biosensors - including cell lyophilization, cell immobilization, cell-free systems, smartphone-based signal detection, and improved competitive binding assays.

A FTIR/chemometrics approach to characterize the gamma radiation effects on iodine/epoxy-paint interactions in Nuclear Power Plants.

PubMed

Colombani, Juliette; Chauvet, Elodie; Amat, Sandrine; Dupuy, Nathalie; Gigmes, Didier

2017-04-01

The effects of radiation on polymeric materials are a topic of concern in a wide range of industries including the sterilization, and the nuclear power industry. While much work has concentrated on systems like polyolefins that are radiation sterilized, some work has been done on epoxy systems. The epoxy system studied is an epoxy/amine paint which is representative of the paint that covers the inner surfaces of the French nuclear reactor containment buildings. In case of a severe accident on a Nuclear Power Plant, fission products can be released from the nuclear fuel to the reactor containment building. Among them, volatile iodine (I 2 ) can be produced and can interact with the epoxy-paint. This paint is also subjected to gamma radiation damages (due to the high dose in the containment coming from radionuclides released from the fuel). So the epoxy-paint studied was exposed to gamma radiation under air atmosphere after being loaded with I 2 or not. The aim of this study is to characterize by FTIR spectroscopy the iodine-paint interactions, then to identify the radiation damages on the epoxy-paint, and to check their effects on these iodine-paint interactions. This work shows the potential of multi-block analysis method (ANOVA-PCA and COMDIM = AComDim) for such a study as it allows to identify the nature of iodine/epoxy-paint interactions and to characterize the gamma radiation damages on the epoxy-paint. AComDim method conduces to the extraction of Common Components to different tables and highlights factors of influence and their interactions. Copyright © 2017 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Caly, Leon; Kassouf, Vicki T.; Moseley, Gregory W.

Nuclear import of the accessory protein Vpr is central to infection by human immunodeficiency virus (HIV). We previously identified the Vpr F72L mutation in a HIV-infected, long-term non-progressor, showing that it resulted in reduced Vpr nuclear accumulation and altered cytoplasmic localisation. Here we demonstrate for the first time that the effects of nuclear accumulation of the F72L mutation are due to impairment of microtubule-dependent-enhancement of Vpr nuclear import. We use high resolution imaging approaches including fluorescence recovery after photobleaching and other approaches to document interaction between Vpr and the dynein light chain protein, DYNLT1, and impaired interaction of the F72Lmore » mutant with DYNLT1. The results implicate MTs/DYNLT1 as drivers of Vpr nuclear import and HIV infection, with important therapeutic implications. - Highlights: • HIV-1 Vpr utilizes the microtubule network to traffic towards the nucleus. • Mechanism relies on interaction between Vpr and dynein light chain protein DYNLT1. • Long-term non-progressor derived mutation (F72L) impairs this interaction. • Key residues in the vicinity of F72 contribute to interaction with DYNLT1.« less

Are there any narrow K--nuclear states?

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Hrtánková, Jaroslava; Mareš, Jiří

2017-07-01

We performed self-consistent calculations of K--nuclear quasi-bound states using a single-nucleon K- optical potential derived from chiral meson-baryon coupled-channel interaction models, supplemented by a phenomenological K- multinucleon potential introduced recently to achieve good fits to kaonic atom data [1]. Our calculations show that the effect of K- multinucleon interactions on K- widths in nuclei is decisive. The resulting widths are considerably larger than corresponding binding energies. Moreover, when the density dependence of the K--multinucleon interactions derived in the fits of kaonic atoms is extended to the nuclear interior, the only two models acceptable after imposing as additional constraint the single-nucleon fraction of K- absorption at rest do not yield any kaonic nuclear bound state in majority of considered nuclei.

Probing Low-Mass Vector Bosons with Parity Nonconservation and Nuclear Anapole Moment Measurements in Atoms and Molecules

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Dzuba, V. A.; Flambaum, V. V.; Stadnik, Y. V.

2017-12-01

In the presence of P -violating interactions, the exchange of vector bosons between electrons and nucleons induces parity-nonconserving (PNC) effects in atoms and molecules, while the exchange of vector bosons between nucleons induces anapole moments of nuclei. We perform calculations of such vector-mediated PNC effects in Cs, Ba+ , Yb, Tl, Fr, and Ra+ using the same relativistic many-body approaches as in earlier calculations of standard-model PNC effects, but with the long-range operator of the weak interaction. We calculate nuclear anapole moments due to vector-boson exchange using a simple nuclear model. From measured and predicted (within the standard model) values for the PNC amplitudes in Cs, Yb, and Tl, as well as the nuclear anapole moment of 133Cs, we constrain the P -violating vector-pseudovector nucleon-electron and nucleon-proton interactions mediated by a generic vector boson of arbitrary mass. Our limits improve on existing bounds from other experiments by many orders of magnitude over a very large range of vector-boson masses.

Weakly interacting massive particle-nucleus elastic scattering response

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Anand, Nikhil; Fitzpatrick, A. Liam; Haxton, W. C.

2014-06-01

Background: A model-independent formulation of weakly interacting massive particle (WIMP)-nucleon scattering was recently developed in Galilean-invariant effective field theory. Purpose: Here we complete the embedding of this effective interaction in the nucleus, constructing the most general elastic nuclear cross section as a factorized product of WIMP and nuclear response functions. This form explicitly defines what can and cannot be learned about the low-energy constants of the effective theory—and consequently about candidate ultraviolet theories of dark matter—from elastic scattering experiments. Results: We identify those interactions that cannot be reliably treated in a spin-independent/spin-dependent (SI/SD) formulation: For derivative- or velocity-dependent couplings, the SI/SD formulation generally mischaracterizes the relevant nuclear operator and its multipolarity (e.g., scalar or vector) and greatly underestimates experimental sensitivities. This can lead to apparent conflicts between experiments when, in fact, none may exist. The new nuclear responses appearing in the factorized cross section are related to familiar electroweak nuclear operators such as angular momentum l⃗(i) and the spin-orbit coupling σ⃗(i).l⃗(i). Conclusions: To unambiguously interpret experiments and to extract all of the available information on the particle physics of dark matter, experimentalists will need to (1) do a sufficient number of experiments with nuclear targets having the requisite sensitivities to the various operators and (2) analyze the results in a formalism that does not arbitrarily limit the candidate operators. In an appendix we describe a code that is available to help interested readers implement such an analysis.

Quantum Monte Carlo calculations of light nuclei with local chiral two- and three-nucleon interactions

DOE PAGES

Lynn, J. E.; Tews, I.; Carlson, J.; ...

2017-11-30

Local chiral effective field theory interactions have recently been developed and used in the context of quantum Monte Carlo few- and many-body methods for nuclear physics. In this paper, we go over detailed features of local chiral nucleon-nucleon interactions and examine their effect on properties of the deuteron, paying special attention to the perturbativeness of the expansion. We then turn to three-nucleon interactions, focusing on operator ambiguities and their interplay with regulator effects. We then discuss the nuclear Green's function Monte Carlo method, going over both wave-function correlations and approximations for the two- and three-body propagators. Finally, following this, wemore » present a range of results on light nuclei: Binding energies and distribution functions are contrasted and compared, starting from several different microscopic interactions.« less

Anomalous electron spin decoherence in an optically pumped quantum dot

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Shi, Xiaofeng; Sham, L. J.

2013-03-01

We study the nuclear-spin-fluctuation induced spin decoherence of an electron (SDE) in an optically pumped quantum dot. The SDE is computed in terms of the steady distribution of the nuclear field (SDNF) formed through the hyperfine interaction (HI) with two different nuclear species in the dot. A feedback loop between the optically driven electron spin and the nuclear spin ensemble determines the SDNF [W. Yang and L. J. Sham, Phy. Rev. B 85, 235319(2012)]. Different from that work and others reviewed therein, where a bilinear HI, SαIβ , between the electron (or hole) spin S and the nuclear spin I is used, we use an effective nonlinear interaction of the form SαIβIγ derived from the Fermi-contact HI. Our feedback loop forms a multi-peak SDNF in which the SDE shows remarkable collapses and revivals in nanosecond time scale. Such an anomalous SDE results from a quantum interference effect of the electron Larmor precession in a multi-peak effective magnetic field. In the presence of a bilinear HI that suppresses the nuclear spin fluctuation, the non-Markovian SDE persists whenever there are finite Fermi contact interactions between two or more kinds of nuclei and the electron in the quantum dot. This work is supported by NSF(PHY 1104446) and the US Army Research Office MURI award W911NF0910406.

Antishadowing and nuclear optics

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Białas, A.; CzYżz, W.

1994-05-01

Using standard methods of nuclear optics, we investigate the recent suggestion by Kharzeev and Satz that antishadowing of photons in nuclear matter may be an effect of quantum interference. We show that the Kharzeev-Satz effect is controlled by the real part of the elastic scattering amplitude of the strongly interacting system coupled to the photon and traversing the nucleus. Phenomenological consequences of this observation are discussed.

Dynamic nuclear polarization assisted spin diffusion for the solid effect case.

PubMed

Hovav, Yonatan; Feintuch, Akiva; Vega, Shimon

2011-02-21

The dynamic nuclear polarization (DNP) process in solids depends on the magnitudes of hyperfine interactions between unpaired electrons and their neighboring (core) nuclei, and on the dipole-dipole interactions between all nuclei in the sample. The polarization enhancement of the bulk nuclei has been typically described in terms of a hyperfine-assisted polarization of a core nucleus by microwave irradiation followed by a dipolar-assisted spin diffusion process in the core-bulk nuclear system. This work presents a theoretical approach for the study of this combined process using a density matrix formalism. In particular, solid effect DNP on a single electron coupled to a nuclear spin system is considered, taking into account the interactions between the spins as well as the main relaxation mechanisms introduced via the electron, nuclear, and cross-relaxation rates. The basic principles of the DNP-assisted spin diffusion mechanism, polarizing the bulk nuclei, are presented, and it is shown that the polarization of the core nuclei and the spin diffusion process should not be treated separately. To emphasize this observation the coherent mechanism driving the pure spin diffusion process is also discussed. In order to demonstrate the effects of the interactions and relaxation mechanisms on the enhancement of the nuclear polarization, model systems of up to ten spins are considered and polarization buildup curves are simulated. A linear chain of spins consisting of a single electron coupled to a core nucleus, which in turn is dipolar coupled to a chain of bulk nuclei, is considered. The interaction and relaxation parameters of this model system were chosen in a way to enable a critical analysis of the polarization enhancement of all nuclei, and are not far from the values of (13)C nuclei in frozen (glassy) organic solutions containing radicals, typically used in DNP at high fields. Results from the simulations are shown, demonstrating the complex dependences of the DNP-assisted spin diffusion process on variations of the relevant parameters. In particular, the effect of the spin lattice relaxation times on the polarization buildup times and the resulting end polarization are discussed, and the quenching of the polarizations by the hyperfine interaction is demonstrated.

Towards a self-consistent dynamical nuclear model

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Roca-Maza, X.; Niu, Y. F.; Colò, G.; Bortignon, P. F.

2017-04-01

Density functional theory (DFT) is a powerful and accurate tool, exploited in nuclear physics to investigate the ground-state and some of the collective properties of nuclei along the whole nuclear chart. Models based on DFT are not, however, suitable for the description of single-particle dynamics in nuclei. Following the field theoretical approach by A Bohr and B R Mottelson to describe nuclear interactions between single-particle and vibrational degrees of freedom, we have taken important steps towards the building of a microscopic dynamic nuclear model. In connection with this, one important issue that needs to be better understood is the renormalization of the effective interaction in the particle-vibration approach. One possible way to renormalize the interaction is by the so-called subtraction method. In this contribution, we will implement the subtraction method in our model for the first time and study its consequences.

Mediator-dependent Nuclear Receptor Functions

PubMed Central

Chen, Wei; Roeder, Robert

2011-01-01

As gene-specific transcription factors, nuclear hormone receptors are broadly involved in many important biological processes. Their function on target genes requires the stepwise assembly of different coactivator complexes that facilitate chromatin remodeling and subsequent preinitiation complex (PIC) formation and function. Mediator has proved to be a crucial, and general, nuclear receptor-interacting coactivator, with demonstrated functions in transcription steps ranging from chromatin remodeling to subsequent PIC formation and function. Here we discuss (i) our current understanding of pathways that nuclear receptors and other interacting cofactors employ to recruit Mediator to target gene enhancers and promoters, including conditional requirements for the strong NR-Mediator interactions mediated by the NR AF2 domain and the MED1 LXXLLL motifs and (ii) mechanisms by which Mediator acts to transmit signals from enhancer-bound nuclear receptors to the general transcription machinery at core promoters to effect PIC formation and function. PMID:21854863

Nuclear lamins are not required for lamina-associated domain organization in mouse embryonic stem cells.

PubMed

Amendola, Mario; van Steensel, Bas

2015-05-01

In mammals, the nuclear lamina interacts with hundreds of large genomic regions, termed lamina-associated domains (LADs) that are generally in a transcriptionally repressed state. Lamins form the major structural component of the lamina and have been reported to bind DNA and chromatin. Here, we systematically evaluate whether lamins are necessary for the LAD organization in murine embryonic stem cells. Surprisingly, removal of essentially all lamins does not have any detectable effect on the genome-wide interaction pattern of chromatin with emerin, a marker of the inner nuclear membrane. This suggests that other components of the lamina mediate these interactions. © 2015 The Authors.

Characterization of a nuclear localization signal in the C-terminus of the adeno-associated virus Rep68/78 proteins

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Cassell, Geoffrey D.; Weitzman, Matthew D.

2004-10-01

Adeno-associated virus (AAV) replicates in the nucleus of infected cells, and therefore multiple nuclear import events are required for productive infection. We analyzed nuclear import of the viral Rep proteins and characterized a nuclear localization signal (NLS) in the C-terminus. We demonstrate that basic residues in this region constitute an NLS that is transferable and mediates interaction with the nuclear import receptor importin {alpha} in vitro. Mutant Rep proteins are predominantly cytoplasmic and are severely compromised for interactions with importin {alpha}, but retain their enzymatic functions in vitro. Interestingly, mutations of the NLS had significantly less effect on importin {alpha}more » interaction and replication in the context of Rep78 than when incorporated into the Rep68 protein. Together, our results demonstrate that a bipartite NLS exists in the shared part of Rep68 and Rep78, and suggest that an alternate entry mechanism may also contribute to nuclear localization of the Rep78 protein.« less

Chiral effective theory of dark matter direct detection

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Bishara, Fady; Brod, Joachim; Grinstein, Benjamin

2017-02-01

We present the effective field theory for dark matter interactions with the visible sector that is valid at scales of O(1 GeV). Starting with an effective theory describing the interactions of fermionic and scalar dark matter with quarks, gluons and photons via higher dimension operators that would arise from dimension-five and dimension-six operators above electroweak scale, we perform a nonperturbative matching onto a heavy baryon chiral perturbation theory that describes dark matter interactions with light mesons and nucleons. This is then used to obtain the coefficients of the nuclear response functions using a chiral effective theory description of nuclear forces.more » Our results consistently keep the leading contributions in chiral counting for each of the initial Wilson coefficients.« less

Phosphatidic acid interacts with a MYB transcription factor and regulates its nuclear localization and function in Arabidopsis.

PubMed

Yao, Hongyan; Wang, Geliang; Guo, Liang; Wang, Xuemin

2013-12-01

Phosphatidic acid (PA) has emerged as a class of cellular mediators involved in various cellular and physiological processes, but little is known about its mechanism of action. Here we show that PA interacts with werewolf (WER), a R2R3 MYB transcription factor involved in root hair formation. The PA-interacting region is confined to the end of the R2 subdomain. The ablation of the PA binding motif has no effect on WER binding to DNA, but abolishes its nuclear localization and its function in regulating epidermal cell fate. Inhibition of PA production by phospholipase Dζ also suppresses WER's nuclear localization, root hair formation, and elongation. These results suggest a role for PA in promoting protein nuclear localization.

Phosphatidic Acid Interacts with a MYB Transcription Factor and Regulates Its Nuclear Localization and Function in Arabidopsis[C][W

PubMed Central

Yao, Hongyan; Wang, Geliang; Guo, Liang; Wang, Xuemin

2013-01-01

Phosphatidic acid (PA) has emerged as a class of cellular mediators involved in various cellular and physiological processes, but little is known about its mechanism of action. Here we show that PA interacts with WEREWOLF (WER), a R2R3 MYB transcription factor involved in root hair formation. The PA-interacting region is confined to the end of the R2 subdomain. The ablation of the PA binding motif has no effect on WER binding to DNA, but abolishes its nuclear localization and its function in regulating epidermal cell fate. Inhibition of PA production by phospholipase Dζ also suppresses WER’s nuclear localization, root hair formation, and elongation. These results suggest a role for PA in promoting protein nuclear localization. PMID:24368785

Equations of state for real gases on the nuclear scale

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Vovchenko, Volodymyr

2017-07-01

The formalism to augment the classical models of the equation of state for real gases with quantum statistical effects is presented. It allows an arbitrary excluded volume procedure to model repulsive interactions, and an arbitrary density-dependent mean field to model attractive interactions. Variations on the excluded volume mechanism include van der Waals (VDW) and Carnahan-Starling models, while the mean fields are based on VDW, Redlich-Kwong-Soave, Peng-Robinson, and Clausius equations of state. The VDW parameters of the nucleon-nucleon interaction are fitted in each model to the properties of the ground state of nuclear matter, and the following range of values is obtained: a =330 -430 MeV fm3 and b =2.5 -4.4 fm3 . In the context of the excluded volume approach, the fits to the nuclear ground state disfavor the values of the effective hard-core radius of a nucleon significantly smaller than 0.5 fm , at least for the nuclear matter region of the phase diagram. Modifications to the standard VDW repulsion and attraction terms allow one to improve significantly the value of the nuclear incompressibility factor K0, bringing it closer to empirical estimates. The generalization to include the baryon-baryon interactions into the hadron resonance gas model is performed. The behavior of the baryon-related lattice QCD observables at zero chemical potential is shown to be strongly correlated to the nuclear matter properties: an improved description of the nuclear incompressibility also yields an improved description of the lattice data at μ =0 .

Cytonuclear interactions affect adaptive traits of the annual plant Arabidopsis thaliana in the field

PubMed Central

Roux, Fabrice; Mary-Huard, Tristan; Barillot, Elise; Wenes, Estelle; Botran, Lucy; Durand, Stéphanie; Villoutreix, Romain; Martin-Magniette, Marie-Laure; Camilleri, Christine; Budar, Françoise

2016-01-01

Although the contribution of cytonuclear interactions to plant fitness variation is relatively well documented at the interspecific level, the prevalence of cytonuclear interactions at the intraspecific level remains poorly investigated. In this study, we set up a field experiment to explore the range of effects that cytonuclear interactions have on fitness-related traits in Arabidopsis thaliana. To do so, we created a unique series of 56 cytolines resulting from cytoplasmic substitutions among eight natural accessions reflecting within-species genetic diversity. An assessment of these cytolines and their parental lines scored for 28 adaptive whole-organism phenotypes showed that a large proportion of phenotypic traits (23 of 28) were affected by cytonuclear interactions. The effects of these interactions varied from slight but frequent across cytolines to strong in some specific parental pairs. Two parental pairs accounted for half of the significant pairwise interactions. In one parental pair, Ct-1/Sha, we observed symmetrical phenotypic responses between the two nuclear backgrounds when combined with specific cytoplasms, suggesting nuclear differentiation at loci involved in cytonuclear epistasis. In contrast, asymmetrical phenotypic responses were observed in another parental pair, Cvi-0/Sha. In the Cvi-0 nuclear background, fecundity and phenology-related traits were strongly affected by the Sha cytoplasm, leading to a modified reproductive strategy without penalizing total seed production. These results indicate that natural variation in cytoplasmic and nuclear genomes interact to shape integrative traits that contribute to adaptation, thereby suggesting that cytonuclear interactions can play a major role in the evolutionary dynamics of A. thaliana. PMID:26979961

Nuclear magnetic shielding in boronlike ions

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Volchkova, A. M.; Varentsova, A. S.; Zubova, N. A.; Agababaev, V. A.; Glazov, D. A.; Volotka, A. V.; Shabaev, V. M.; Plunien, G.

2017-10-01

The relativistic treatment of the nuclear magnetic shielding effect in boronlike ions is presented. The leading-order contribution of the magnetic-dipole hyperfine interaction is calculated. Along with the standard second-order perturbation theory expression, the solutions of the Dirac equation in the presence of magnetic field are employed. All methods are found to be in agreement with each other and with the previous calculations for hydrogenlike and lithiumlike ions. The effective screening potential is used to account approximately for the interelectronic interaction.

Heavy metals in the cell nucleus - role in pathogenesis.

PubMed

Sas-Nowosielska, Hanna; Pawlas, Natalia

2015-01-01

People are exposed to heavy metals both in an occupational and natural environment. The most pronounced effects of heavy metals result from their interaction with cellular genetic material packed in form of chromatin. Heavy metals influence chromatin, mimicking and substituting natural microelements in various processes taking place in the cell, or interacting chemically with nuclear components: nucleic acids, proteins and lipids. This paper is a review of current knowledge on the effects of heavy metals on chromatin, exerted at the level of various nuclear components.

Method for detection of nuclear-plasma interactions in a 134Xe-doped exploding pusher at the National Ignition Facility

DOE PAGES

Bleuel, Daniel L.; Bernstein, Lee A.; Brand, Christopher A.; ...

2016-06-10

Angular momentum changes due to nuclear-plasma interactions on highly-excited nuclei in high energy density plasmas created at the National Ignition Facility can be measured through a change in isomer feeding following gamma emission. Here, we propose an experiment to detect these effects in 133Xe* in exploding pusher capsules.

Method for detection of nuclear-plasma interactions in a 134Xe-doped exploding pusher at the National Ignition Facility

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Bleuel, Daniel L.; Bernstein, Lee A.; Brand, Christopher A.

Angular momentum changes due to nuclear-plasma interactions on highly-excited nuclei in high energy density plasmas created at the National Ignition Facility can be measured through a change in isomer feeding following gamma emission. Here, we propose an experiment to detect these effects in 133Xe* in exploding pusher capsules.

Nuclear dipole polarizability from mean-field modeling constrained by chiral effective field theory

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Zhang, Zhen; Lim, Yeunhwan; Holt, Jeremy W.; Ko, Che Ming

2018-02-01

We construct a new Skyrme interaction Skχm* by fitting the equation of state and nucleon effective masses in asymmetric nuclear matter from chiral two- and three-body forces as well as the binding energies of finite nuclei. Employing this interaction to study the electric dipole polarizabilities of 48Ca, 68Ni, 120Sn, and 208Pb in the random-phase approximation, we find that the theoretical predictions are in good agreement with experimentally measured values without additional fine tuning of the Skyrme interaction, thus confirming the usefulness of the new Skyrme interaction in studying the properties of nuclei. We further use this interaction to study the neutron skin thicknesses of 48Ca and 208Pb, and they are found to be consistent with the experimental data.

Equation of State for Isospin Asymmetric Nuclear Matter Using Lane Potential

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Basu, D. N.; Chowdhury, P. Roy; Samanta, C.

2006-10-01

A mean field calculation for obtaining the equation of state (EOS) for symmetric nuclear matter from a density dependent M3Y interaction supplemented by a zero-range potential is described. The energy per nucleon is minimized to obtain the ground state of symmetric nuclear matter. The saturation energy per nucleon used for nuclear matter calculations is determined from the co-efficient of the volume term of Bethe--Weizsäcker mass formula which is evaluated by fitting the recent experimental and estimated atomic mass excesses from Audi--Wapstra--Thibault atomic mass table by minimizing the mean square deviation. The constants of density dependence of the effective interaction are obtained by reproducing the saturation energy per nucleon and the saturation density of spin and isospin symmetric cold infinite nuclear matter. The EOS of symmetric nuclear matter, thus obtained, provide reasonably good estimate of nuclear incompressibility. Once the constants of density dependence are determined, EOS for asymmetric nuclear matter is calculated by adding to the isoscalar part, the isovector component of the M3Y interaction that do not contribute to the EOS of symmetric nuclear matter. These EOS are then used to calculate the pressure, the energy density and the velocity of sound in symmetric as well as isospin asymmetric nuclear matter.

Compensation effects in molecular interactions and the quantum chemical le Chatelier principle.

PubMed

Mezey, Paul G

2015-05-28

Components of molecular interactions and various changes in the components of total energy changes during molecular processes typically exhibit some degrees of compensation. This may be as prominent as the over 90% compensation of the electronic energy and nuclear repulsion energy components of the total energy in some conformational changes. Some of these compensations are enhanced by solvent effects. For various arrangements of ions in a solvent, however, not only compensation but also a formal, mutual enhancement between the electronic energy and nuclear repulsion energy components of the total energy may also occur, when the tools of nuclear charge variation are applied to establish quantum chemically rigorous energy inequalities.

Nuclear actions of insulin-like growth factor binding protein-3.

PubMed

Baxter, Robert C

2015-09-10

In addition to its actions outside the cell, cellular uptake and nuclear import of insulin-like growth factor binding protein-3 (IGFBP-3) has been recognized for almost two decades, but knowledge of its nuclear actions has been slow to emerge. IGFBP-3 has a functional nuclear localization signal and interacts with the nuclear transport protein importin-β. Within the nucleus IGFBP-3 appears to have a role in transcriptional regulation. It can bind to the nuclear receptor, retinoid X receptor-α and several of its dimerization partners, including retinoic acid receptor, vitamin D receptor (VDR), and peroxisome proliferator-activated receptor-γ (PPARγ). These interactions modulate the functions of these receptors, for example inhibiting VDR-dependent transcription in osteoblasts and PPARγ-dependent transcription in adipocytes. Nuclear IGFBP-3 can be detected by immunohistochemistry in cancer and other tissues, and its presence in the nucleus has been shown in many cell culture studies to be necessary for its pro-apoptotic effect, which may also involve interaction with the nuclear receptor Nur77, and export from the nucleus. IGFBP-3 is p53-inducible and in response to DNA damage, forms a complex with the epidermal growth factor receptor (EGFR), translocating to the nucleus to interact with DNA-dependent protein kinase. Inhibition of EGFR kinase activity or downregulation of IGFBP-3 can inhibit DNA double strand-break repair by nonhomologous end joining. IGFBP-3 thus has the ability to influence many cell functions through its interactions with intranuclear pathways, but the importance of these interactions in vivo, and their potential to be targeted for therapeutic benefit, require further investigation. Copyright © 2015 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

Induced Star Formation

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Kennicutt, Robert C., Jr.

Overview: Induced Star Formation and Interactions Introduction Historical Background: First Hints Systematic Studies: Starbursts Interactions and Nuclear activity IRAS and Ultralumious starburst Galaxies The 1990's: HST, Supercomputers, and the Distant Universe Key Questions and Issues Organization of Lectures Star Formation Properties of Normal Galaxies Observational Techniques Results: Star Formation in Normal Galaxies Interpretation: Star Formation Histories Global Star Formation in interacting Galaxies A Gallery of Interactions and Mergers Star Formation Statistics: Guilt By Association Tests SFRs in Interacting vs Noninteracting Galaxies Kinematic Properties and Regulation of SFRs Induced Nuclear Activity and Star Formation Background: Nuclear Spectra and Classification Nuclear Star Formation and Starbursts Nuclear Star Formation and Interactions Induced AGN Activity: Statistics of Seyfert Galaxies Environments of Quasars Kinematic Clues to the Triggering of AGNs Infrared Luminous Galaxies and Starbursts Background: IR Luminous Galaxies and IRAS Infrared Luminosity Function and Spectra Infrared Structure and Morphology Interstellar Gas X-Ray Emission and Superwinds Optical, UV, and Near-Infrared Spectra Radio Continuum Emission Evidence for Interactions and Mergers The Power Source: Starbursts or Dusty AGNs? Spectral Diagnostics of Starbursts Evolutionary Synthesis Models Applications: Integrated Colors of Interacting Galaxies Applications: Hα Emission, Colors, and SFRs Applications: Spectral Modelling of Evolved Starbursts Infrared Starbursts and the IMF in starbursts Triggering and Regulation of Star Formation: The Problem Introduction: Star Formation as a Nonlinear Process The schmidt Law in Normal Galaxies Star Formation Regimes in Interacting Galaxies Summary Triggering and Regulation of Starbusts: Theoretical Ideas Gravitational Star Formation Thresholds Cloud Collision Models Radial Transport of Gas: Clues from Barred Galaxies Simulations of Starbursts in Merging Galaxies The Cosmological Role of Interactions and Starbursts Interactions in Hierarchical Cosmology Interaction-Induced Star Formation Today Interaction-Induced Star Formation in the Past Disk kinematics and the Merger Rate Global Effects of Starbursts and Superwinds Concluding Remarks References

Uncertainty quantification of effective nuclear interactions

DOE PAGES

Pérez, R. Navarro; Amaro, J. E.; Arriola, E. Ruiz

2016-03-02

We give a brief review on the development of phenomenological NN interactions and the corresponding quanti cation of statistical uncertainties. We look into the uncertainty of effective interactions broadly used in mean eld calculations through the Skyrme parameters and effective eld theory counter-terms by estimating both statistical and systematic uncertainties stemming from the NN interaction. We also comment on the role played by different tting strategies on the light of recent developments.

Uncertainty quantification of effective nuclear interactions

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Pérez, R. Navarro; Amaro, J. E.; Arriola, E. Ruiz

We give a brief review on the development of phenomenological NN interactions and the corresponding quanti cation of statistical uncertainties. We look into the uncertainty of effective interactions broadly used in mean eld calculations through the Skyrme parameters and effective eld theory counter-terms by estimating both statistical and systematic uncertainties stemming from the NN interaction. We also comment on the role played by different tting strategies on the light of recent developments.

Hadronic and nuclear interactions in QCD

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Not Available

Despite the evidence that QCD - or something close to it - gives a correct description of the structure of hadrons and their interactions, it seems paradoxical that the theory has thus far had very little impact in nuclear physics. One reason for this is that the application of QCD to distances larger than 1 fm involves coherent, non-perturbative dynamics which is beyond present calculational techniques. For example, in QCD the nuclear force can evidently be ascribed to quark interchange and gluon exchange processes. These, however, are as complicated to analyze from a fundamental point of view as is themore » analogous covalent bond in molecular physics. Since a detailed description of quark-quark interactions and the structure of hadronic wavefunctions is not yet well-understood in QCD, it is evident that a quantitative first-principle description of the nuclear force will require a great deal of theoretical effort. Another reason for the limited impact of QCD in nuclear physics has been the conventional assumption that nuclear interactions can for the most part be analyzed in terms of an effective meson-nucleon field theory or potential model in isolation from the details of short distance quark and gluon structure of hadrons. These lectures, argue that this view is untenable: in fact, there is no correspondence principle which yields traditional nuclear physics as a rigorous large-distance or non-relativistic limit of QCD dynamics. On the other hand, the distinctions between standard nuclear physics dynamics and QCD at nuclear dimensions are extremely interesting and illuminating for both particle and nuclear physics.« less

Repulsive four-body interactions of α particles and quasistable nuclear α -particle condensates in heavy self-conjugate nuclei

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Bai, Dong; Ren, Zhongzhou

2018-05-01

We study the effects of repulsive four-body interactions of α particles on nuclear α -particle condensates in heavy self-conjugate nuclei using a semianalytic approach, and find that the repulsive four-body interactions could decrease the critical number of α particles, beyond which quasistable α -particle condensate states can no longer exist, even if these four-body interactions make only tiny contributions to the total energy of the Hoyle-like state of 16O. Explicitly, we study eight benchmark parameter sets, and find that the critical number Ncr decreases by |Δ Ncr|˜1 -4 from Ncr˜11 with vanishing four-body interactions. We also discuss the effects of four-body interactions on energies and radii of α -particle condensates. Our study can be useful for future experiments to study α -particle condensates in heavy self-conjugate nuclei. Also, the experimental determination of Ncr will eventually help establish a better understanding on the α -particle interactions, especially the four-body interactions.

Lorentz-violating contributions to the nuclear Schiff moment and nuclear EDM

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Araujo, Jonas B.; Casana, Rodolfo; Ferreira, Manoel M.

2018-03-01

In the context of an atom endowed with nuclear electric dipole moments (EDM), we consider the effects on the Schiff moment of C P T -even Lorentz-violating (LV) terms that modify the Coulomb potential. First, we study the modifications on the Schiff moment when the nucleus interacts with the electronic cloud by means of a Coulomb potential altered only by the P -even LV components. Next, by supposing the existence of an additional intrinsic LV EDM generated by other LV sources, we assess the corrections to the Schiff moment when the interaction nucleus-electrons runs mediated by a Coulomb potential modified by both the P -odd and P -even LV components. We then use known estimates and EDM measurements to discuss upper bounds on the new Schiff moment components and the possibility of a nuclear EDM component ascribed to LV effects.

Interaction of Strain and Nuclear Spins in Silicon: Quadrupolar Effects on Ionized Donors

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Franke, David P.; Hrubesch, Florian M.; Künzl, Markus; Becker, Hans-Werner; Itoh, Kohei M.; Stutzmann, Martin; Hoehne, Felix; Dreher, Lukas; Brandt, Martin S.

2015-07-01

The nuclear spins of ionized donors in silicon have become an interesting quantum resource due to their very long coherence times. Their perfect isolation, however, comes at a price, since the absence of the donor electron makes the nuclear spin difficult to control. We demonstrate that the quadrupolar interaction allows us to effectively tune the nuclear magnetic resonance of ionized arsenic donors in silicon via strain and determine the two nonzero elements of the S tensor linking strain and electric field gradients in this material to S11=1.5 ×1022 V /m2 and S44=6 ×1022 V /m2 . We find a stronger benefit of dynamical decoupling on the coherence properties of transitions subject to first-order quadrupole shifts than on those subject to only second-order shifts and discuss applications of quadrupole physics including mechanical driving of magnetic resonance, cooling of mechanical resonators, and strain-mediated spin coupling.

Two-body contributions to the effective mass in nuclear effective interactions

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Davesne, D.; Navarro, J.; Meyer, J.; Bennaceur, K.; Pastore, A.

2018-04-01

Starting from general expressions of well-chosen symmetric nuclear matter quantities derived for both zero- and finite-range effective theories, we derive some universal relations between them. We first show that, independently of the range, the two-body contribution is enough to describe correctly the saturation mechanism but gives an effective mass value around m*/m ≃0.4 when the other properties of the saturation point are set near their generally accepted values. Then, we show that a more elaborated interaction (for instance, an effective two-body density-dependent term on top of the pure two-body term) is needed to reach the accepted value m*/m ≃0.7 -0.8 .

The nuclear weapons inheritance project: student-to-student dialogues and interactive peer education in disarmament activism.

PubMed

Buhmann, Caecilie Böck

2007-01-01

The Nuclear Weapons Inheritance Project is a student run and student initiated project founded in 2001 with the purpose of increasing awareness of health effects of nuclear policies and empowering university students to take action in a local and international context. The project uses dialogues to discuss nuclear disarmament with university students and a method of interactive peer education to train new trainers. The project has met more than 1500 students in nuclear weapon states in dialogue and trained about 400 students from all over the world. This article describes the methods and results of the project and discuss how the experience of the project can be used in other projects seeking to increase awareness of a topic and to initiate action on social injustice.

Identification of nuclear effects in neutrino-carbon interactions at low three-momentum transfer

DOE PAGES

Rodrigues, P. A.

2016-02-17

Two different nuclear-medium effects are isolated using a low three-momentum transfer subsample of neutrino-carbon scattering data from the MINERvA neutrino experiment. The observed hadronic energy in charged-current νμ interactions is combined with muon kinematics to permit separation of the quasielastic and Δ(1232) resonance processes. First, we observe a small cross section at very low energy transfer that matches the expected screening effect of long-range nucleon correlations. Second, additions to the event rate in the kinematic region between the quasielastic and Δ resonance processes are needed to describe the data. The data in this kinematic region also have an enhanced populationmore » of multiproton final states. Contributions predicted for scattering from a nucleon pair have both properties; the model tested in this analysis is a significant improvement but does not fully describe the data. We present the results as a double-differential cross section to enable further investigation of nuclear models. Furthermore, improved description of the effects of the nuclear environment are required by current and future neutrino oscillation experiments.« less

Form factors for dark matter capture by the Sun in effective theories

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Catena, Riccardo; Schwabe, Bodo

2015-04-01

In the effective theory of isoscalar and isovector dark matter-nucleon interactions mediated by a heavy spin-1 or spin-0 particle, 8 isotope-dependent nuclear response functions can be generated in the dark matter scattering by nuclei. We compute the 8 nuclear response functions for the 16 most abundant elements in the Sun, i.e. H, 3He, 4He, 12C, 14N, 16O, 20Ne, 23Na, 24Mg, 27Al, 28Si, 32S, 40Ar, 40Ca, 56Fe, and 59Ni, through numerical shell model calculations. We use our response functions to compute the rate of dark matter capture by the Sun for all isoscalar and isovector dark matter-nucleon effective interactions, including several operators previously considered for dark matter direct detection only. We study in detail the dependence of the capture rate on specific dark matter-nucleon interaction operators, and on the different elements in the Sun. We find that a so far neglected momentum dependent dark matter coupling to the nuclear vector charge gives a larger contribution to the capture rate than the constant spin-dependent interaction commonly included in dark matter searches at neutrino telescopes. Our investigation lays the foundations for model independent analyses of dark matter induced neutrino signals from the Sun. The nuclear response functions obtained in this study are listed in analytic form in an appendix, ready to be used in other projects.

Determination of Plasma Screening Effects for Thermonuclear Reactions in Laser-generated Plasmas

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Wu, Yuanbin; Pálffy, Adriana

2017-03-01

Due to screening effects, nuclear reactions in astrophysical plasmas may behave differently than in the laboratory. The possibility to determine the magnitude of these screening effects in colliding laser-generated plasmas is investigated theoretically, having as a starting point a proposed experimental setup with two laser beams at the Extreme Light Infrastructure facility. A laser pulse interacting with a solid target produces a plasma through the Target Normal Sheath Acceleration scheme, and this rapidly streaming plasma (ion flow) impacts a secondary plasma created by the interaction of a second laser pulse on a gas jet target. We model this scenario here and calculate the reaction events for the astrophysically relevant reaction 13C(4He, n)16O. We find that it should be experimentally possible to determine the plasma screening enhancement factor for fusion reactions by detecting the difference in reaction events between two scenarios of ion flow interacting with the plasma target and a simple gas target. This provides a way to evaluate nuclear reaction cross-sections in stellar environments and can significantly advance the field of nuclear astrophysics.

Strongly-Interacting Fermi Gases in Reduced Dimensions

DTIC Science & Technology

2015-11-16

one spin state is surrounded by a particle- hole cloud of the other 1. REPORT DATE (DD-MM-YYYY) 4. TITLE AND SUBTITLE 13. SUPPLEMENTARY NOTES 12...explained in part by a polaron model, in which an atom of one spin state is surrounded by a particle- hole cloud of the other spin state. However, a...superconductivity), nuclear physics (nuclear matter), high-energy physics (effective theories of the strong interactions), astrophysics (compact stellar objects

Δ isobars and nuclear saturation

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Ekström, A.; Hagen, G.; Morris, T. D.; Papenbrock, T.; Schwartz, P. D.

2018-02-01

We construct a nuclear interaction in chiral effective field theory with explicit inclusion of the Δ -isobar Δ (1232 ) degree of freedom at all orders up to next-to-next-to-leading order (NNLO). We use pion-nucleon (π N ) low-energy constants (LECs) from a Roy-Steiner analysis of π N scattering data, optimize the LECs in the contact potentials up to NNLO to reproduce low-energy nucleon-nucleon scattering phase shifts, and constrain the three-nucleon interaction at NNLO to reproduce the binding energy and point-proton radius of 4He. For heavier nuclei we use the coupled-cluster method to compute binding energies, radii, and neutron skins. We find that radii and binding energies are much improved for interactions with explicit inclusion of Δ (1232 ) , while Δ -less interactions produce nuclei that are not bound with respect to breakup into α particles. The saturation of nuclear matter is significantly improved, and its symmetry energy is consistent with empirical estimates.

Minimal nuclear energy density functional

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Bulgac, Aurel; Forbes, Michael McNeil; Jin, Shi; Perez, Rodrigo Navarro; Schunck, Nicolas

2018-04-01

We present a minimal nuclear energy density functional (NEDF) called "SeaLL1" that has the smallest number of possible phenomenological parameters to date. SeaLL1 is defined by seven significant phenomenological parameters, each related to a specific nuclear property. It describes the nuclear masses of even-even nuclei with a mean energy error of 0.97 MeV and a standard deviation of 1.46 MeV , two-neutron and two-proton separation energies with rms errors of 0.69 MeV and 0.59 MeV respectively, and the charge radii of 345 even-even nuclei with a mean error ɛr=0.022 fm and a standard deviation σr=0.025 fm . SeaLL1 incorporates constraints on the equation of state (EoS) of pure neutron matter from quantum Monte Carlo calculations with chiral effective field theory two-body (NN ) interactions at the next-to-next-to-next-to leading order (N3LO) level and three-body (NNN ) interactions at the next-to-next-to leading order (N2LO) level. Two of the seven parameters are related to the saturation density and the energy per particle of the homogeneous symmetric nuclear matter, one is related to the nuclear surface tension, two are related to the symmetry energy and its density dependence, one is related to the strength of the spin-orbit interaction, and one is the coupling constant of the pairing interaction. We identify additional phenomenological parameters that have little effect on ground-state properties but can be used to fine-tune features such as the Thomas-Reiche-Kuhn sum rule, the excitation energy of the giant dipole and Gamow-Teller resonances, the static dipole electric polarizability, and the neutron skin thickness.

Minimal nuclear energy density functional

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Bulgac, Aurel; Forbes, Michael McNeil; Jin, Shi

Inmore » this paper, we present a minimal nuclear energy density functional (NEDF) called “SeaLL1” that has the smallest number of possible phenomenological parameters to date. SeaLL1 is defined by seven significant phenomenological parameters, each related to a specific nuclear property. It describes the nuclear masses of even-even nuclei with a mean energy error of 0.97 MeV and a standard deviation of 1.46 MeV , two-neutron and two-proton separation energies with rms errors of 0.69 MeV and 0.59 MeV respectively, and the charge radii of 345 even-even nuclei with a mean error ε r = 0.022 fm and a standard deviation σ r = 0.025 fm . SeaLL1 incorporates constraints on the equation of state (EoS) of pure neutron matter from quantum Monte Carlo calculations with chiral effective field theory two-body ( NN ) interactions at the next-to-next-to-next-to leading order (N3LO) level and three-body ( NNN ) interactions at the next-to-next-to leading order (N2LO) level. Two of the seven parameters are related to the saturation density and the energy per particle of the homogeneous symmetric nuclear matter, one is related to the nuclear surface tension, two are related to the symmetry energy and its density dependence, one is related to the strength of the spin-orbit interaction, and one is the coupling constant of the pairing interaction. Finally, we identify additional phenomenological parameters that have little effect on ground-state properties but can be used to fine-tune features such as the Thomas-Reiche-Kuhn sum rule, the excitation energy of the giant dipole and Gamow-Teller resonances, the static dipole electric polarizability, and the neutron skin thickness.« less

Minimal nuclear energy density functional

DOE PAGES

Bulgac, Aurel; Forbes, Michael McNeil; Jin, Shi; ...

2018-04-17

Inmore » this paper, we present a minimal nuclear energy density functional (NEDF) called “SeaLL1” that has the smallest number of possible phenomenological parameters to date. SeaLL1 is defined by seven significant phenomenological parameters, each related to a specific nuclear property. It describes the nuclear masses of even-even nuclei with a mean energy error of 0.97 MeV and a standard deviation of 1.46 MeV , two-neutron and two-proton separation energies with rms errors of 0.69 MeV and 0.59 MeV respectively, and the charge radii of 345 even-even nuclei with a mean error ε r = 0.022 fm and a standard deviation σ r = 0.025 fm . SeaLL1 incorporates constraints on the equation of state (EoS) of pure neutron matter from quantum Monte Carlo calculations with chiral effective field theory two-body ( NN ) interactions at the next-to-next-to-next-to leading order (N3LO) level and three-body ( NNN ) interactions at the next-to-next-to leading order (N2LO) level. Two of the seven parameters are related to the saturation density and the energy per particle of the homogeneous symmetric nuclear matter, one is related to the nuclear surface tension, two are related to the symmetry energy and its density dependence, one is related to the strength of the spin-orbit interaction, and one is the coupling constant of the pairing interaction. Finally, we identify additional phenomenological parameters that have little effect on ground-state properties but can be used to fine-tune features such as the Thomas-Reiche-Kuhn sum rule, the excitation energy of the giant dipole and Gamow-Teller resonances, the static dipole electric polarizability, and the neutron skin thickness.« less

The link between tidal interaction and nuclear activity in galaxies

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Lin, D. N. C.; Pringle, J. E.; Rees, M. J.

1988-01-01

It is considered how nuclear activity in galaxies may be induced by the tidal perturbation of companion galaxies. It is suggested that if the central regions of the galaxies contain marginally self-gravitating disks of gas, trailing spiral density waves, triggered by nonaxisymmetric gravitational instability, lead to efficient angular momentum transport. If the net effect of the external perturbation is to increase the effect of self-gravity in the gas, then the result is to induce a considerable increase in the mass accretion rate into the central region on a relatively short time scale. With a simple prescription, the evolution of self-gravitating accretion disks is examined in this context. These results are discussed in the context of the frequent occurrence of nuclear activity in interacting galaxies.

Mitochondrial-Nuclear Epistasis: Implications for Human Aging and Longevity

PubMed Central

Tranah, Gregory

2010-01-01

There is substantial evidence that mitochondria are involved in the aging process. Mitochondrial function requires the coordinated expression of hundreds of nuclear genes and a few dozen mitochondrial genes, many of which have been associated with either extended or shortened life span. Impaired mitochondrial function resulting from mtDNA and nuclear DNA variation is likely to contribute to an imbalance in cellular energy homeostasis, increased vulnerability to oxidative stress, and an increased rate of cellular senescence and aging. The complex genetic architecture of mitochondria suggests that there may be an equally complex set of gene interactions (epistases) involving genetic variation in the nuclear and mitochondrial genomes. Results from Drosophila suggest that the effects of mtDNA haplotypes on longevity vary among different nuclear allelic backgrounds, which could account for the inconsistent associations that have been observed between mitochondrial DNA (mtDNA) haplogroups and survival in humans. A diversity of pathways may influence the way mitochondria and nuclear – mitochondrial interactions modulate longevity, including: oxidative phosphorylation; mitochondrial uncoupling; antioxidant defenses; mitochondrial fission and fusion; and sirtuin regulation of mitochondrial genes. We hypothesize that aging and longevity, as complex traits having a significant genetic component, are likely to be controlled by nuclear gene variants interacting with both inherited and somatic mtDNA variability. PMID:20601194

Study of Electron Gas on a Neutron-Rich Nuclear Pasta

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Ramirez-Homs, Enrique

This study used a classical molecular dynamics model to observe the role of electron gas on the formation of nuclear structures at subsaturation densities (rho < 0.015 fm-3) and low temperatures (T < 1MeV ). The simulations were performed by varying the Coulomb interaction strength on systems of isospin symmetric and asymmetric matter with periodic boundary conditions. The effect was quantified on the fragment size multiplicity, the inter-particle distance, the isospin content of the clusters, the nucleon mobility and cluster persistence, and on the nuclear structure shapes. The existence of the nuclear pasta structures was observed even with the absence of the Coulomb interaction but with a modication of the shapes formed. It was found that the presence of the electron gas tends to distribute matter more evenly, forms less compact objects, decreases the isospin content of clusters, modies the nucleon mobility, reduces the persistence and the fragment size multiplicity, but does not alter the inter-particle distance in clusters. The degree of these effects also varied on the nuclear structures and depended on their isospin content, temperature, and density.

Nuclear Spin Dependent Parity Violation in Diatomic Molecules

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Cahn, Sidney; Altuntas, Emine; Ammon, Jeffrey; Demille, David

2015-10-01

Nuclear spin-dependent parity violation (NSD-PV) effects arise from the exchange of the Z0 boson between electrons and the nucleus and from the interaction of electrons with the nuclear anapole moment, a parity-odd magnetic moment. The anapole moment grows as A2/3 of the nucleus,while the Z0 coupling is independent of A. We study NSD-PV effects using diatomic molecules, where signals are dramatically amplified by bringing rotational levels of opposite parity close to degeneracy in a strong magnetic field. Using a Stark-interference technique, we measure the NSD-PV interaction matrix element. We present results that demonstrate statistical sensitivity to NSD-PV effects surpassing that of any previous atomic parity violation measurement, using the test system 138Ba19F. We also discuss improvements on investigations of systematics due to non-reversing stray E-fields, Enr together with B-field inhomogeneities, and short-term prospects for measuring the nuclear anapole moment of 137Ba. In the long term, our technique is sufficiently general and sensitive to enable measurements across a broad range of nuclei.

Effect of electron spin-spin interaction on level crossings and spin flips in a spin-triplet system

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Jia, Wei; Hu, Fang-Qi; Wu, Ning; Zhao, Qing

2017-12-01

We study level crossings and spin flips in a system consisting of a spin-1 (an electron spin triplet) coupled to a nuclear spin of arbitrary size K , in the presence of a uniform magnetic field and the electron spin-spin interaction within the triplet. Through an analytical diagonalization based on the SU (3 ) Lie algebra, we find that the electron spin-spin interaction not only removes the curious degeneracy which appears in the absence of the interaction, but also produces some level anticrossings (LACs) for strong interactions. The real-time dynamics of the system shows that periodic spin flips occur at the LACs for arbitrary K , which might provide an option for nuclear or electron spin polarization.

Many-body kinetics of dynamic nuclear polarization by the cross effect

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Karabanov, A.; Wiśniewski, D.; Raimondi, F.; Lesanovsky, I.; Köckenberger, W.

2018-03-01

Dynamic nuclear polarization (DNP) is an out-of-equilibrium method for generating nonthermal spin polarization which provides large signal enhancements in modern diagnostic methods based on nuclear magnetic resonance. A particular instance is cross-effect DNP, which involves the interaction of two coupled electrons with the nuclear spin ensemble. Here we develop a theory for this important DNP mechanism and show that the nonequilibrium nuclear polarization buildup is effectively driven by three-body incoherent Markovian dissipative processes involving simultaneous state changes of two electrons and one nucleus. We identify different parameter regimes for effective polarization transfer and discuss under which conditions the polarization dynamics can be simulated by classical kinetic Monte Carlo methods. Our theoretical approach allows simulations of the polarization dynamics on an individual spin level for ensembles consisting of hundreds of nuclear spins. The insight obtained by these simulations can be used to find optimal experimental conditions for cross-effect DNP and to design tailored radical systems that provide optimal DNP efficiency.

Nuclear symmetry energy in terms of single-nucleon potential and its effect on the proton fraction of β-stable npeμ matter

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Sahoo, Babita, E-mail: patra-babita@rediffmail.com; Chakraborty, Suparna, E-mail: banerjee.suparna@hotmail.com; Sahoo, Sukadev, E-mail: sukadevsahoo@yahoo.com

2016-01-15

Momentum and density dependence of single-nucleon potential u{sub τ} (k, ρ, β) is analyzed using a density dependent finite range effective interaction of the Yukawa form. Depending on the choice of the strength parameters of exchange interaction, two different trends of the momentum dependence of nuclear symmetry potential are noticed which lead to two opposite types of neutron and proton effective mass splitting. The 2nd-order and 4th-order symmetry energy of isospin asymmetric nuclear matter are expressed analytically in terms of the single-nucleon potential. Two distinct behavior of the density dependence of 2nd-order and 4th-order symmetry energy are observed depending onmore » neutron and proton effective mass splitting. It is also found that the 4th-order symmetry energy has a significant contribution towards the proton fraction of β-stable npeμ matter at high densities.« less

Nuclear Spin Dependent Parity Violation in Diatomic Molecules

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Altuntas, Emine; Cahn, Sidney; Demille, David; Kozlov, Mikhail

2016-05-01

Nuclear spin-dependent parity violation (NSD-PV) effects arise from exchange of the Z0 boson between electrons and the nucleus, and from interaction of electrons with the nuclear anapole moment, a parity-odd magnetic moment. The latter scales with nucleon number of the nucleus A as A 2 / 3 , whereas the Z0 coupling is independent of A. Thus the former is the dominant source of NSD-PV for nuclei with A >= 20. We study NSD-PV effects using diatomic molecules, where signals are dramatically amplified by bringing rotational levels of opposite parity close to degeneracy in a strong magnetic field. The NSD-PV interaction matrix element is measured using a Stark-interference technique. We present results that demonstrate statistical sensitivity to NSD-PV effects surpassing that of any previous atomic parity violation measurement, using the test system 138 Ba19 F. We report our progress on measuring and cancelling systematic effects due to combination of non-reversing stray E-fields, Enr with B-field inhomogeneities. Short-term prospects for measuring the nuclear anapole moment of 137 Ba19 F are discussed. In the long term, our technique is sufficiently general and sensitive to enable measurements across a broad range of nuclei.

Nuclear Spin Dependent Parity Violation in Diatomic Molecules

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Altuntas, Emine; Cahn, Sidney; Demille, David

2016-09-01

Nuclear spin-dependent parity violation (NSD-PV) effects arise from exchange of the Z0 boson between electrons and the nucleus, and from interaction of electrons with the nuclear anapole moment, a parity-odd magnetic moment. The latter scales with nucleon number of the nucleus A as A2/3 , whereas the Z0 coupling is independent of A. Thus the former is the dominant source of NSD-PV for nuclei with A >= 20 . We study NSD-PV effects using diatomic molecules, where signals are dramatically amplified by bringing rotational levels of opposite parity close to degeneracy in a strong magnetic field. The NSD-PV interaction matrix element is measured using a Stark-interference technique. We present results that demonstrate statistical sensitivity to NSD-PV effects surpassing that of any previous atomic parity violation measurement, using the test system 138Ba19F. We report our progress on measuring and cancelling systematic effects due to combination of non-reversing stray E-fields, Enr with B-field inhomogeneities. Short-term prospects for measuring the nuclear anapole moment of 137Ba19F are discussed. In the long term, our technique is sufficiently general and sensitive to enable measurements across a broad range of nuclei.

Genome-nuclear lamina interactions and gene regulation.

PubMed

Kind, Jop; van Steensel, Bas

2010-06-01

The nuclear lamina, a filamentous protein network that coats the inner nuclear membrane, has long been thought to interact with specific genomic loci and regulate their expression. Molecular mapping studies have now identified large genomic domains that are in contact with the lamina. Genes in these domains are typically repressed, and artificial tethering experiments indicate that the lamina can actively contribute to this repression. Furthermore, the lamina indirectly controls gene expression in the nuclear interior by sequestration of certain transcription factors. A variety of DNA-binding and chromatin proteins may anchor specific loci to the lamina, while histone-modifying enzymes partly mediate the local repressive effect of the lamina. Experimental tools are now available to begin to unravel the underlying molecular mechanisms. Copyright 2010 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

Neutrino nuclear responses for double beta decays and astro neutrinos by charge exchange reactions

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Ejiri, Hiroyasu

2014-09-01

Neutrino nuclear responses are crucial for neutrino studies in nuclei. Charge exchange reactions (CER) are shown to be used to study charged current neutrino nuclear responses associated with double beta decays(DBD)and astro neutrino interactions. CERs to be used are high energy-resolution (He3 ,t) reactions at RCNP, photonuclear reactions via IAR at NewSUBARU and muon capture reactions at MUSIC RCNP and MLF J-PARC. The Gamow Teller (GT) strengths studied by CERs reproduce the observed 2 neutrino DBD matrix elements. The GT and spin dipole (SD) matrix elements are found to be reduced much due to the nucleon spin isospin correlations and the non-nucleonic (delta isobar) nuclear medium effects. Impacts of the reductions on the DBD matrix elements and astro neutrino interactions are discussed.

Nuclear forward scattering for high energy mössbauer transitions.

PubMed

Sergueev, I; Chumakov, A I; Beaume-Dang, T H Deschaux; Rüffer, R; Strohm, C; van Bürck, U

2007-08-31

We have studied nuclear forward scattering of synchrotron radiation for the 67.41 keV resonance of 61Ni using a silicon crystal monochromator with low-index reflections and a multielement detector. This approach can be extended to other high-energy Mössbauer transitions and does not pose any restrictions on the sample environment. Under conditions of large sample thickness and short nuclear lifetime, typical for work with high-energy nuclear resonances, the nuclear decay follows a universal dependence where both thickness effects and hyperfine interactions are taken into account by time scaling.

Molecular basis for repression of liver X receptor-mediated gene transcription by receptor-interacting protein 140

PubMed Central

Jakobsson, Tomas; Osman, Waffa; Gustafsson, Jan-Åke; Zilliacus, Johanna; Wärnmark, Anette

2007-01-01

Similarities in physiological roles of LXR (liver X receptors) and co-repressor RIP140 (receptor-interacting protein 140) in regulating energy homoeostasis and lipid and glucose metabolism suggest that the effects of LXR could at least partly be mediated by recruitment of the co-repressor RIP140. In the present study, we have elucidated the molecular basis for regulation of LXR transcriptional activity by RIP140. LXR is evenly localized in the nucleus and neither the N-terminal domain nor the LBD (ligand-binding domain) is necessary for nuclear localization. Both LXR subtypes, LXRα and LXRβ, interact with RIP140 and co-localize in diffuse large nuclear domains. Interaction and co-localization are dependent on the LBD of the receptor. The C-terminal domain of RIP140 is sufficient for full repressive effect. None of the C-terminal NR (nuclear receptor)-boxes is required for the co-repressor activity, whereas the NR-box-like motif as well as additional elements in the C-terminal region are required for full repressive function. The C-terminal NR-box-like motif is necessary for interaction with LXRβ, whereas additional elements are needed for strong interaction with LXRα. In conclusion, our results suggest that co-repression of LXR activity by RIP140 involves an atypical binding mode of RIP140 and a repression element in the RIP140 C-terminus. PMID:17391100

Form factors for dark matter capture by the Sun in effective theories

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Catena, Riccardo; Schwabe, Bodo

2015-04-24

In the effective theory of isoscalar and isovector dark matter-nucleon interactions mediated by a heavy spin-1 or spin-0 particle, 8 isotope-dependent nuclear response functions can be generated in the dark matter scattering by nuclei. We compute the 8 nuclear response functions for the 16 most abundant elements in the Sun, i.e. H, {sup 3}He, {sup 4}He, {sup 12}C, {sup 14}N, {sup 16}O, {sup 20}Ne, {sup 23}Na, {sup 24}Mg, {sup 27}Al, {sup 28}Si, {sup 32}S, {sup 40}Ar, {sup 40}Ca, {sup 56}Fe, and {sup 59}Ni, through numerical shell model calculations. We use our response functions to compute the rate of dark mattermore » capture by the Sun for all isoscalar and isovector dark matter-nucleon effective interactions, including several operators previously considered for dark matter direct detection only. We study in detail the dependence of the capture rate on specific dark matter-nucleon interaction operators, and on the different elements in the Sun. We find that a so far neglected momentum dependent dark matter coupling to the nuclear vector charge gives a larger contribution to the capture rate than the constant spin-dependent interaction commonly included in dark matter searches at neutrino telescopes. Our investigation lays the foundations for model independent analyses of dark matter induced neutrino signals from the Sun. The nuclear response functions obtained in this study are listed in analytic form in an appendix, ready to be used in other projects.« less

Radioprotective Thiolamines WR-1065 and WR-33278 Selectively Denature Nonhistone Nuclear Proteins

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Booth, Valerie K.; Roberts, Jeanette C.; Warters, Raymond L.; Wilmore, Britta H.; Lepock, James R.

2000-01-01

Differential scanning calorimetry was used to study the interactions of nuclei isolated from Chinese hamster V79 cells with the radioprotector WR-1065, other thiol compounds, and polyamines. Differential scanning calorimetry monitors denaturation of macromolecules and resolves the major nuclear components (e.g. constrained and relaxed DNA, nucleosome core, and nuclear matrix) of intact nuclei on the basis of thermal stability. WR-1065 treatment (0.5-10 mM) of isolated nuclei led to the irreversible denaturation of nuclear proteins, a fraction of which are nuclear matrix proteins. Denaturation of 50% of the total nonhistone nuclear protein content of isolated nuclei occurred after exposure to 4.7 mM WR-1065 for 20 min at 23 C. In addition, a 22% increase in the insoluble protein content of nuclei isolated from V79 cells that had been treated with 4 mM WR-1065 for 30 min at 37 C was observed, indicating that WR-1065-induced protein denaturation occurs not only in isolated nuclei but also in the nuclei of intact cells. From the extent of the increase in insoluble protein in the nucleus, protein denaturation by WR-1065 is expected to contribute to drug toxicity at concentrations greater than approximately 4 mM. WR-33278, the disulfide form of WR1065, was approximately twice as effective as the free thiol at denaturing nuclear proteins. The proposed mechanism for nucleoprotein denaturation is through direct interactions with protein cysteine groups with the formation of destabilizing protein-WR-1065 disulfides. In comparison to its effect on nuclear proteins in isolated nuclei, WR-1065 had only a very small effect on non-nuclear proteins of whole cells, isolated nuclear matrix, or the thiol-rich Ca (2+) ATPase of sarcoplasmic reticulum, indicating that WR-1065 can effectively denature protein only inside an intact nucleus, probably due to the increased concentration of the positively charged drug in the vicinity of DNA.

Constraining the Speed of Sound inside Neutron Stars with Chiral Effective Field Theory Interactions and Observations

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Tews, I.; Carlson, J.; Gandolfi, S.; Reddy, S.

2018-06-01

The dense matter equation of state (EOS) determines neutron star (NS) structure but can be calculated reliably only up to one to two times the nuclear saturation density, using accurate many-body methods that employ nuclear interactions from chiral effective field theory constrained by scattering data. In this work, we use physically motivated ansatzes for the speed of sound c S at high density to extend microscopic calculations of neutron-rich matter to the highest densities encountered in stable NS cores. We show how existing and expected astrophysical constraints on NS masses and radii from X-ray observations can constrain the speed of sound in the NS core. We confirm earlier expectations that c S is likely to violate the conformal limit of {c}S2≤slant {c}2/3, possibly reaching values closer to the speed of light c at a few times the nuclear saturation density, independent of the nuclear Hamiltonian. If QCD obeys the conformal limit, we conclude that the rapid increase of c S required to accommodate a 2 M ⊙ NS suggests a form of strongly interacting matter where a description in terms of nucleons will be unwieldy, even between one and two times the nuclear saturation density. For typical NSs with masses in the range of 1.2–1.4 M ⊙, we find radii between 10 and 14 km, and the smallest possible radius of a 1.4 M ⊙ NS consistent with constraints from nuclear physics and observations is 8.4 km. We also discuss how future observations could constrain the EOS and guide theoretical developments in nuclear physics.

Additional mitochondrial DNA influences the interactions between the nuclear and mitochondrial genomes in a bovine embryo model of nuclear transfer.

PubMed

Srirattana, Kanokwan; St John, Justin C

2018-05-08

We generated cattle embryos using mitochondrial supplementation and somatic cell nuclear transfer (SCNT), named miNT, to determine how additional mitochondrial DNA (mtDNA) modulates the nuclear genome. To eliminate any confounding effects from somatic cell mtDNA in intraspecies SCNT, donor cell mtDNA was depleted prior to embryo production. Additional oocyte mtDNA did not affect embryo development rates but increased mtDNA copy number in blastocyst stage embryos. Moreover, miNT-derived blastocysts had different gene expression profiles when compared with SCNT-derived blastocysts. Additional mtDNA increased expression levels of genes involved in oxidative phosphorylation, cell cycle and DNA repair. Supplementing the embryo culture media with a histone deacetylase inhibitor, Trichostatin A (TSA), had no beneficial effects on the development of miNT-derived embryos, unlike SCNT-derived embryos. When compared with SCNT-derived blastocysts cultured in the presence of TSA, additional mtDNA alone had beneficial effects as the activity of glycolysis may increase and embryonic cell death may decrease. However, these beneficial effects were not found with additional mtDNA and TSA together, suggesting that additional mtDNA alone enhances reprogramming. In conclusion, additional mtDNA increased mtDNA copy number and expression levels of genes involved in energy production and embryo development in blastocyst stage embryos emphasising the importance of nuclear-mitochondrial interactions.

Extended Glauber Model of Antiproton-Nucleus Annihilation for All Energies and Mass Numbers

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Lee, Teck-Ghee; Wong, Cheuk-Yin

2014-01-01

Previous analytical formulas in the Glauber model for high-energy nucleus-nucleus collisions developed by Wong are utilized and extended to study Antiproton-nucleus annihilations for both high and low energies, after taking into account the effects of Coulomb and nuclear interactions, and the change of the antiproton momentum inside a nucleus. The extended analytical formulas capture the main features of the experimental antiproton-nucleus annihilation cross sections for all energies and mass numbers. At high antiproton energies, they exhibit the granular property for the lightest nuclei and the black-disk limit for the heavy nuclei. At low antiproton energies, they display the effect ofmore » the antiproton momentum increase due to the nuclear interaction for the light nuclei, and the effect of the magnification due to the attractive Coulomb interaction for the heavy nuclei.« less

Casimir forces in a plasma: possible connections to Yukawa potentials

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Ninham, Barry W.; Boström, Mathias; Persson, Clas; Brevik, Iver; Buhmann, Stefan Y.; Sernelius, Bo E.

2014-10-01

We present theoretical and numerical results for the screened Casimir effect between perfect metal surfaces in a plasma. We show how the Casimir effect in an electron-positron plasma can provide an important contribution to nuclear interactions. Our results suggest that there is a connection between Casimir forces and nucleon forces mediated by mesons. Correct nuclear energies and meson masses appear to emerge naturally from the screened Casimir-Lifshitz effect.

Double binding energy differences: Mean-field or pairing effect?

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Qi, Chong

2012-10-01

In this Letter we present a systematic analysis on the average interaction between the last protons and neutrons in atomic nuclei, which can be extracted from the double differences of nuclear binding energies. The empirical average proton-neutron interaction Vpn thus derived from experimental data can be described in a very simple form as the interplay of the nuclear mean field and the pairing interaction. It is found that the smooth behavior as well as the local fluctuations of the Vpn in even-even nuclei with N ≠ Z are dominated by the contribution from the proton-neutron monopole interactions. A strong additional contribution from the isoscalar monopole interaction and isovector proton-neutron pairing interaction is seen in the Vpn for even-even N = Z nuclei and for the adjacent odd-A nuclei with one neutron or proton being subtracted.

Structure of cold nuclear matter at subnuclear densities by quantum molecular dynamics

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Watanabe, Gentaro; Sato, Katsuhiko; Yasuoka, Kenji; Ebisuzaki, Toshikazu

2003-09-01

Structure of cold nuclear matter at subnuclear densities for the proton fraction x=0.5, 0.3, and 0.1 is investigated by quantum molecular dynamics (QMD) simulations. We demonstrate that the phases with slablike and rodlike nuclei, etc. can be formed dynamically from hot uniform nuclear matter without any assumptions on nuclear shape, and also systematically analyze the structure of cold matter using two-point correlation functions and Minkowski functionals. In our simulations, we also observe intermediate phases, which have complicated nuclear shapes. It has been found out that these phases can be characterized as those with negative Euler characteristic. Our result implies the existence of these kinds of phases in addition to the simple “pasta” phases in neutron star crusts and supernova inner cores. In addition, we investigate the properties of the effective QMD interaction used in the present work to examine the validity of our results. The resultant energy per nucleon ɛn of the pure neutron matter, the proton chemical μ(0)p in pure neutron matter and the nuclear surface tension Esurf are generally reasonable in comparison with other nuclear interactions.

The Immune Adaptor SLP-76 Binds to SUMO-RANGAP1 at Nuclear Pore Complex Filaments to Regulate Nuclear Import of Transcription Factors in T Cells

PubMed Central

Liu, Hebin; Schneider, Helga; Recino, Asha; Richardson, Christine; Goldberg, Martin W.; Rudd, Christopher E.

2015-01-01

Summary While immune cell adaptors regulate proximal T cell signaling, direct regulation of the nuclear pore complex (NPC) has not been reported. NPC has cytoplasmic filaments composed of RanGAP1 and RanBP2 with the potential to interact with cytoplasmic mediators. Here, we show that the immune cell adaptor SLP-76 binds directly to SUMO-RanGAP1 of cytoplasmic fibrils of the NPC, and that this interaction is needed for optimal NFATc1 and NF-κB p65 nuclear entry in T cells. Transmission electron microscopy showed anti-SLP-76 cytoplasmic labeling of the majority of NPCs in anti-CD3 activated T cells. Further, SUMO-RanGAP1 bound to the N-terminal lysine 56 of SLP-76 where the interaction was needed for optimal RanGAP1-NPC localization and GAP exchange activity. While the SLP-76-RanGAP1 (K56E) mutant had no effect on proximal signaling, it impaired NF-ATc1 and p65/RelA nuclear entry and in vivo responses to OVA peptide. Overall, we have identified SLP-76 as a direct regulator of nuclear pore function in T cells. PMID:26321253

The Immune Adaptor SLP-76 Binds to SUMO-RANGAP1 at Nuclear Pore Complex Filaments to Regulate Nuclear Import of Transcription Factors in T Cells.

PubMed

Liu, Hebin; Schneider, Helga; Recino, Asha; Richardson, Christine; Goldberg, Martin W; Rudd, Christopher E

2015-09-03

While immune cell adaptors regulate proximal T cell signaling, direct regulation of the nuclear pore complex (NPC) has not been reported. NPC has cytoplasmic filaments composed of RanGAP1 and RanBP2 with the potential to interact with cytoplasmic mediators. Here, we show that the immune cell adaptor SLP-76 binds directly to SUMO-RanGAP1 of cytoplasmic fibrils of the NPC, and that this interaction is needed for optimal NFATc1 and NF-κB p65 nuclear entry in T cells. Transmission electron microscopy showed anti-SLP-76 cytoplasmic labeling of the majority of NPCs in anti-CD3 activated T cells. Further, SUMO-RanGAP1 bound to the N-terminal lysine 56 of SLP-76 where the interaction was needed for optimal RanGAP1-NPC localization and GAP exchange activity. While the SLP-76-RanGAP1 (K56E) mutant had no effect on proximal signaling, it impaired NF-ATc1 and p65/RelA nuclear entry and in vivo responses to OVA peptide. Overall, we have identified SLP-76 as a direct regulator of nuclear pore function in T cells. Copyright © 2015 The Authors. Published by Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

Measurement of untruncated nuclear spin interactions via zero- to ultralow-field nuclear magnetic resonance

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Blanchard, J. W.; Sjolander, T. F.; King, J. P.; Ledbetter, M. P.; Levine, E. H.; Bajaj, V. S.; Budker, D.; Pines, A.

2015-12-01

Zero- to ultralow-field nuclear magnetic resonance (ZULF NMR) provides a new regime for the measurement of nuclear spin-spin interactions free from the effects of large magnetic fields, such as truncation of terms that do not commute with the Zeeman Hamiltonian. One such interaction, the magnetic dipole-dipole coupling, is a valuable source of spatial information in NMR, though many terms are unobservable in high-field NMR, and the coupling averages to zero under isotropic molecular tumbling. Under partial alignment, this information is retained in the form of so-called residual dipolar couplings. We report zero- to ultralow-field NMR measurements of residual dipolar couplings in acetonitrile-2-13C aligned in stretched polyvinyl acetate gels. This permits the investigation of dipolar couplings as a perturbation on the indirect spin-spin J coupling in the absence of an applied magnetic field. As a consequence of working at zero magnetic field, we observe terms of the dipole-dipole coupling Hamiltonian that are invisible in conventional high-field NMR. This technique expands the capabilities of zero- to ultralow-field NMR and has potential applications in precision measurement of subtle physical interactions, chemical analysis, and characterization of local mesoscale structure in materials.

Perturbation of nuclear architecture by long-distance chromosome interactions.

PubMed

Dernburg, A F; Broman, K W; Fung, J C; Marshall, W F; Philips, J; Agard, D A; Sedat, J W

1996-05-31

Position-effect variegation (PEV) describes the stochastic transcriptional silencing of a gene positioned adjacent to heterochromatin. Using FISH, we have tested whether variegated expression of the eye-color gene brown in Drosophila is influenced by its nuclear localization. In embryonic nuclei, a heterochromatic insertion at the brown locus is always spatially isolated from other heterochromatin. However, during larval development this insertion physically associates with other heterochromatic regions on the same chromosome in a stochastic manner. These observations indicate that the brown gene is silenced by specific contact with centromeric heterochromatin. Moreover, they provide direct evidence for long-range chromosome interactions and their impact on three-dimensional nuclear architecture, while providing a cohesive explanation for the phenomenon of PEV.

Ab initio description of continuum effects in A=11 exotic systems with chiral NN+3N forces

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Calci, Angelo; Navratil, Petr; Roth, Robert; Dohet-Eraly, Jeremy; Quaglioni, Sofia; Hupin, Guillaume

2016-09-01

Based on the fundamental symmetries of QCD, chiral effective field theory (EFT) provides two- (NN), three- (3N) and many-nucleon interactions in a consistent and systematically improvable scheme. The rapid developments to construct divers families of chiral NN+3N interactions and the conceptual and technical improvements of ab initio many-body approaches pose a great opportunity for nuclear physics. By studying particular interesting phenomena in nuclear structure and reaction observables one can discriminate between different forces and study the predictive power of chiral EFT. The accurate description of the 11Be nucleus, in particular, the ground-state parity inversion and exceptionally strong E1 transition between its two bound states constitute an enormous challenge for the developments of nuclear forces and many-body approaches. We present a sensitivity analysis of structure and reaction observables to different NN+3N interactions in 11Be and n+10Be as well as the mirror p+10C scattering using the ab initio NCSM with continuum (NCSMC). Supported by the U.S. Department of Energy, Office of Science, Office of Nuclear Physics, under Work Proposal No. SCW1158. TRIUMF receives federal funding via a contribution agreement with the National Research Council of Canada.

Fundamental Neutron Physics: Theory and Analysis

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Gudkov, Vladimir

The goal of the proposal was to study the possibility of searching for manifestations of new physics beyond the Standard model in fundamental neutron physics experiments. This involves detailed theoretical analyses of parity- and time reversal invariance-violating processes in neutron-induced reactions, properties of neutron β-decay, and the precise description of properties of neutron interactions with nuclei. To describe neutron-nuclear interactions, we use both the effective field theory approach and the theory of nuclear reaction with phenomenological nucleon potentials for the systematic description of parity- and time reversal-violating effects in the consistent way. A major emphasis of our research during themore » funding period has been the study of parity violation (PV) and time reversal invariance violation (TRIV) in few-body systems. We studied PV effects in non-elastic processes in three-nucleon system using both ”DDH-like” and effective field theory (EFT) approaches. The wave functions were obtained by solving three-body Faddeev equations in configuration space for a number of realistic strong potentials. The observed model dependence for the DDH approach indicates intrinsic difficulty in the description of nuclear PV effects, and it could be the reason for the observed discrepancies in the nuclear PV data analysis. It shows that the DDH approach could be a reasonable approach for analysis of PV effects only if exactly the same strong and weak potentials are used in calculating all PV observables in all nuclei. However, the existing calculations of nuclear PV effects were performed using different potentials; therefore, strictly speaking, one cannot compare the existing results of these calculations among themselves.« less

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Wu, Yuanbin; Pálffy, Adriana, E-mail: yuanbin.wu@mpi-hd.mpg.de, E-mail: Palffy@mpi-hd.mpg.de

Due to screening effects, nuclear reactions in astrophysical plasmas may behave differently than in the laboratory. The possibility to determine the magnitude of these screening effects in colliding laser-generated plasmas is investigated theoretically, having as a starting point a proposed experimental setup with two laser beams at the Extreme Light Infrastructure facility. A laser pulse interacting with a solid target produces a plasma through the Target Normal Sheath Acceleration scheme, and this rapidly streaming plasma (ion flow) impacts a secondary plasma created by the interaction of a second laser pulse on a gas jet target. We model this scenario heremore » and calculate the reaction events for the astrophysically relevant reaction {sup 13}C({sup 4}He, n ){sup 16}O. We find that it should be experimentally possible to determine the plasma screening enhancement factor for fusion reactions by detecting the difference in reaction events between two scenarios of ion flow interacting with the plasma target and a simple gas target. This provides a way to evaluate nuclear reaction cross-sections in stellar environments and can significantly advance the field of nuclear astrophysics.« less

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Catena, Riccardo; Schwabe, Bodo, E-mail: riccardo.catena@theorie.physik.uni-goettingen.de, E-mail: bodo.schwabe@theorie.physik.uni-goettingen.de

In the effective theory of isoscalar and isovector dark matter-nucleon interactions mediated by a heavy spin-1 or spin-0 particle, 8 isotope-dependent nuclear response functions can be generated in the dark matter scattering by nuclei. We compute the 8 nuclear response functions for the 16 most abundant elements in the Sun, i.e. H, {sup 3}He, {sup 4}He, {sup 12}C, {sup 14}N, {sup 16}O, {sup 20}Ne, {sup 23}Na, {sup 24}Mg, {sup 27}Al, {sup 28}Si, {sup 32}S, {sup 40}Ar, {sup 40}Ca, {sup 56}Fe, and {sup 59}Ni, through numerical shell model calculations. We use our response functions to compute the rate of dark mattermore » capture by the Sun for all isoscalar and isovector dark matter-nucleon effective interactions, including several operators previously considered for dark matter direct detection only. We study in detail the dependence of the capture rate on specific dark matter-nucleon interaction operators, and on the different elements in the Sun. We find that a so far neglected momentum dependent dark matter coupling to the nuclear vector charge gives a larger contribution to the capture rate than the constant spin-dependent interaction commonly included in dark matter searches at neutrino telescopes. Our investigation lays the foundations for model independent analyses of dark matter induced neutrino signals from the Sun. The nuclear response functions obtained in this study are listed in analytic form in an appendix, ready to be used in other projects.« less

Integrated in silico and in vivo approaches to investigate effects of BDE-99 mediated by the nuclear receptors on developing zebrafish.

PubMed

Zhang, Li; Jin, Yaru; Han, Zhihua; Liu, Hongling; Shi, Laihao; Hua, Xiaoxue; Doering, Jon A; Tang, Song; Giesy, John P; Yu, Hongxia

2018-03-01

One of the most abundant polybrominated diphenyl ethers (PBDEs) is 2,2',4,4',5-pentabromodiphenyl ether (BDE-99), which persists and potentially bioaccumulates in aquatic wildlife. Previous studies in mammals have shown that BDE-99 affects development and disrupts certain endocrine functions through signaling pathways mediated by nuclear receptors. However, fewer studies have investigated the potential of BDE-99 to interact with nuclear receptors in aquatic vertebrates such as fish. In the present study, interactions between BDE-99 and nuclear receptors were investigated by in silico and in vivo approaches. This PBDE was able to dock into the ligand-binding domain of zebrafish aryl hydrocarbon receptor 2 (AhR2) and pregnane X receptor (PXR). It had a significant effect on the transcriptional profiles of genes associated with AhR or PXR. Based on the developed cytoscape of all zebrafish genes, it was also inferred that AhR and PXR could interact via cross-talk. In addition, both the in silico and in vivo approaches found that BDE-99 affected peroxisome proliferator-activated receptor alpha (PPARα), glucocorticoid receptor, and thyroid receptor. Collectively, our results demonstrate for the first time detailed in silico evidence that BDE-99 can bind to and interact with zebrafish AhR and PXR. These findings can be used to elaborate the molecular mechanism of BDE-99 and guide more objective environmental risk assessments. Environ Toxicol Chem 2018;37:780-787. © 2017 SETAC. © 2017 SETAC.

A Stochastic Model of Space Radiation Transport as a Tool in the Development of Time-Dependent Risk Assessment

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Kim, Myung-Hee Y.; Nounu, Hatem N.; Ponomarev, Artem L.; Cucinotta, Francis A.

2011-01-01

A new computer model, the GCR Event-based Risk Model code (GERMcode), was developed to describe biophysical events from high-energy protons and heavy ions that have been studied at the NASA Space Radiation Laboratory (NSRL) [1] for the purpose of simulating space radiation biological effects. In the GERMcode, the biophysical description of the passage of heavy ions in tissue and shielding materials is made with a stochastic approach that includes both ion track structure and nuclear interactions. The GERMcode accounts for the major nuclear interaction processes of importance for describing heavy ion beams, including nuclear fragmentation, elastic scattering, and knockout-cascade processes by using the quantum multiple scattering fragmentation (QMSFRG) model [2]. The QMSFRG model has been shown to be in excellent agreement with available experimental data for nuclear fragmentation cross sections

Demonstration of a Sensitive Method to Measure Nuclear-Spin-Dependent Parity Violation

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Altuntaş, Emine; Ammon, Jeffrey; Cahn, Sidney B.; DeMille, David

2018-04-01

Nuclear-spin-dependent parity violation (NSD-PV) effects in atoms and molecules arise from Z0 boson exchange between electrons and the nucleus, and from the magnetic interaction between electrons and the parity-violating nuclear anapole moment. We demonstrate measurements of NSD-PV that use an enhancement of the effect in diatomic molecules, here using the test system 138Ba 19. Our sensitivity surpasses that of any previous atomic parity violation measurement. We show that systematic errors can be suppressed to at least the level of the present statistical sensitivity. We measure the matrix element W of the NSD-PV interaction with total uncertainty δ W /(2 π )<0.7 Hz , for each of two configurations where W must have different signs. This sensitivity would be sufficient to measure NSD-PV effects of the size anticipated across a wide range of nuclei including 137Ba in 137BaF, where |W |/(2 π )≈5 Hz is expected.

Negative muon chemistry: the quantum muon effect and the finite nuclear mass effect.

PubMed

Posada, Edwin; Moncada, Félix; Reyes, Andrés

2014-10-09

The any-particle molecular orbital method at the full configuration interaction level has been employed to study atoms in which one electron has been replaced by a negative muon. In this approach electrons and muons are described as quantum waves. A scheme has been proposed to discriminate nuclear mass and quantum muon effects on chemical properties of muonic and regular atoms. This study reveals that the differences in the ionization potentials of isoelectronic muonic atoms and regular atoms are of the order of millielectronvolts. For the valence ionizations of muonic helium and muonic lithium the nuclear mass effects are more important. On the other hand, for 1s ionizations of muonic atoms heavier than beryllium, the quantum muon effects are more important. In addition, this study presents an assessment of the nuclear mass and quantum muon effects on the barrier of Heμ + H2 reaction.

Dephasing due to Nuclear Spins in Large-Amplitude Electric Dipole Spin Resonance.

PubMed

Chesi, Stefano; Yang, Li-Ping; Loss, Daniel

2016-02-12

We analyze effects of the hyperfine interaction on electric dipole spin resonance when the amplitude of the quantum-dot motion becomes comparable or larger than the quantum dot's size. Away from the well-known small-drive regime, the important role played by transverse nuclear fluctuations leads to a Gaussian decay with characteristic dependence on drive strength and detuning. A characterization of spin-flip gate fidelity, in the presence of such additional drive-dependent dephasing, shows that vanishingly small errors can still be achieved at sufficiently large amplitudes. Based on our theory, we analyze recent electric dipole spin resonance experiments relying on spin-orbit interactions or the slanting field of a micromagnet. We find that such experiments are already in a regime with significant effects of transverse nuclear fluctuations and the form of decay of the Rabi oscillations can be reproduced well by our theory.

Nuclear Spin Dependent Parity Violation in Diatomic Molecules

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Altuntas, Emine; Ammon, Jeffrey; Cahn, Sidney; Demille, David; Kozlov, Mikhail; Paolino, Richard

2015-05-01

Nuclear spin-dependent parity violation (NSD-PV) effects arise from exchange of the Z0 boson between electrons and the nucleus, and from interaction of electrons with the nuclear anapole moment, a parity-odd magnetic moment. The latter scales with nucleon number of the nucleus A as A 2 / 3 , whereas the Z0 coupling is independent of A. Thus the former is the dominant source of NSD-PV for nuclei with A >= 20. We study NSD-PV effects using diatomic molecules, where signals are dramatically amplified by bringing rotational levels of opposite parity close to degeneracy in a strong magnetic field. Using a Stark-interference technique we measure the NSD-PV interaction matrix element. We present results that demonstrate statistical sensitivity to NSD-PV effects surpassing that of any previous atomic parity violation measurement, using the test system 138Ba19F. We also discuss investigations of systematics due to non-reversing stray E-fields, Enr together with B-field inhomogeneities, and short-term prospects for measuring the nuclear anapole moment of 137Ba. In the long term, our technique is sufficiently general and sensitive to enable measurements across a broad range of nuclei.

Nuclear recoil effect on g-factor of heavy ions: prospects for tests of quantum electrodynamics in a new region

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Malyshev, A. V.; Shabaev, V. M.; Glazov, D. A.; Tupitsyn, I. I.

2017-12-01

The nuclear recoil effect on the g-factor of H- and Li-like heavy ions is evaluated to all orders in αZ. The calculations include an approximate treatment of the nuclear size and the electron-electron interaction corrections to the recoil effect. As the result, the second largest contribution to the theoretical uncertainty of the g-factor values of 208Pb79+ and 238U89+ is strongly reduced. Special attention is paid to tests of the QED recoil effect on the g-factor in experiments with heavy ions. It is found that, while the QED recoil effect on the g-factor value is masked by the uncertainties of the nuclear size and nuclear polarization contributions, it can be probed on a few-percent level in the specific difference of the g-factors of H- and Li-like heavy ions. This provides a unique opportunity to test QED in a new region-strong-coupling regime beyond the Furry picture.

Nuclear Recoil Effect on the g-Factor of Heavy Ions: Prospects for Tests of Quantum Electrodynamics in a New Region

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Malyshev, A. V.; Shabaev, V. M.; Glazov, D. A.; Tupitsyn, I. I.

2017-12-01

The nuclear recoil effect on the g-factor of H- and Li-like heavy ions is evaluated to all orders in αZ. The calculations include an approximate treatment of the nuclear size and the electron-electron interaction corrections to the recoil effect. As the result, the second largest contribution to the theoretical uncertainty of the g-factor values of 208Pb79+ and 238U89+ is strongly reduced. Special attention is paid to tests of the QED recoil effect on the g-factor in experiments with heavy ions. It is found that, while the QED recoil effect on the gfactor value is masked by the uncertainties of the nuclear size and nuclear polarization contributions, it can be probed on a few-percent level in the specific difference of the g-factors of H- and Li-like heavy ions. This provides a unique opportunity to test QED in a new region of the strong-coupling regime beyond the Furry picture.

Leading order relativistic chiral nucleon-nucleon interaction

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Ren, Xiu-Lei; Li, Kai-Wen; Geng, Li-Sheng; Long, Bingwei; Ring, Peter; Meng, Jie

2018-01-01

Motivated by the successes of relativistic theories in studies of atomic/molecular and nuclear systems and the need for a relativistic chiral force in relativistic nuclear structure studies, we explore a new relativistic scheme to construct the nucleon-nucleon interaction in the framework of covariant chiral effective field theory. The chiral interaction is formulated up to leading order with covariant power counting and a Lorentz invariant chiral Lagrangian. We find that the relativistic scheme induces all six spin operators needed to describe the nuclear force. A detailed investigation of the partial wave potentials shows a better description of the {}1S0 and {}3P0 phase shifts than the leading order Weinberg approach, and similar to that of the next-to-leading order Weinberg approach. For the other partial waves with angular momenta J≥slant 1, the relativistic results are almost the same as their leading order non-relativistic counterparts. )

Integrating nuclear weapons stockpile management and nuclear arms control to enable significant stockpile reductions

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Sanders, Lani Miyoshi; DeLand, Sharon M.; Pregenzer, Arian L.

2010-11-01

In his 2009 Prague speech and the 2010 Nuclear Posture Review, President Barack Obama committed the United States to take concrete steps toward nuclear disarmament while maintaining a safe, secure, and effective nuclear deterrent. There is an inherent tension between these two goals that is best addressed through improved integration of nuclear weapons objectives with nuclear arms control objectives. This article reviews historical examples of the interaction between the two sets of objectives, develops a framework for analyzing opportunities for future integration, and suggests specific ideas that could benefit the nuclear weapons enterprise as it undergoes transformation and that couldmore » make the future enterprise compatible with a variety of arms control futures.« less

Pairing versus quarteting coherence length

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Delion, D. S.; Baran, V. V.

2015-02-01

We systematically analyze the coherence length in even-even nuclei. The pairing coherence length in the spin-singlet channel for the effective density-dependent delta (DDD) and Gaussian interaction is estimated. We consider in our calculations bound states as well as narrow resonances. It turns out that the pairing gaps given by the DDD interaction are similar to those of the Gaussian potential if one renormalizes the radial width to the nuclear radius. The correlations induced by the pairing interaction have, in all considered cases, a long-range character inside the nucleus and a decrease towards the surface. The mean coherence length is larger than the geometrical radius for light nuclei and approaches this value for heavy nuclei. The effect of the temperature and states in the continuum is investigated. Strong shell effects are put in evidence, especially for protons. We generalize this concept to quartets by considering similar relations, but between proton and neutron pairs. The quartet coherence length has a similar shape, but with larger values on the nuclear surface. We provide evidence of the important role of proton-neutron correlations by estimating the so-called alpha coherence length, which takes into account the overlap with the proton-neutron part of the α -particle wave function. It turns out that it does not depend on the nuclear size and has a value comparable to the free α -particle radius. We have shown that pairing correlations are mainly concentrated inside the nucleus, while quarteting correlations are connected to the nuclear surface.

Measuring nuclear-spin-dependent parity violation with molecules: Experimental methods and analysis of systematic errors

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Altuntaş, Emine; Ammon, Jeffrey; Cahn, Sidney B.; DeMille, David

2018-04-01

Nuclear-spin-dependent parity violation (NSD-PV) effects in atoms and molecules arise from Z0 boson exchange between electrons and the nucleus and from the magnetic interaction between electrons and the parity-violating nuclear anapole moment. It has been proposed to study NSD-PV effects using an enhancement of the observable effect in diatomic molecules [D. DeMille et al., Phys. Rev. Lett. 100, 023003 (2008), 10.1103/PhysRevLett.100.023003]. Here we demonstrate highly sensitive measurements of this type, using the test system 138Ba19F. We show that systematic errors associated with our technique can be suppressed to at least the level of the present statistical sensitivity. With ˜170 h of data, we measure the matrix element W of the NSD-PV interaction with uncertainty δ W /(2 π )<0.7 Hz for each of two configurations where W must have different signs. This sensitivity would be sufficient to measure NSD-PV effects of the size anticipated across a wide range of nuclei.

Solving the electron and electron-nuclear Schroedinger equations for the excited states of helium atom with the free iterative-complement-interaction method

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Nakashima, Hiroyuki; Hijikata, Yuh; Nakatsuji, Hiroshi

2008-04-21

Very accurate variational calculations with the free iterative-complement-interaction (ICI) method for solving the Schroedinger equation were performed for the 1sNs singlet and triplet excited states of helium atom up to N=24. This is the first extensive applications of the free ICI method to the calculations of excited states to very high levels. We performed the calculations with the fixed-nucleus Hamiltonian and moving-nucleus Hamiltonian. The latter case is the Schroedinger equation for the electron-nuclear Hamiltonian and includes the quantum effect of nuclear motion. This solution corresponds to the nonrelativistic limit and reproduced the experimental values up to five decimal figures. Themore » small differences from the experimental values are not at all the theoretical errors but represent the physical effects that are not included in the present calculations, such as relativistic effect, quantum electrodynamic effect, and even the experimental errors. The present calculations constitute a small step toward the accurately predictive quantum chemistry.« less

Resonance-inclined optical nuclear spin polarization of liquids in diamond structures

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Chen, Q.; Schwarz, I.; Jelezko, F.; Retzker, A.; Plenio, M. B.

2016-02-01

Dynamic nuclear polarization (DNP) of molecules in a solution at room temperature has the potential to revolutionize nuclear magnetic resonance spectroscopy and imaging. The prevalent methods for achieving DNP in solutions are typically most effective in the regime of small interaction correlation times between the electron and nuclear spins, limiting the size of accessible molecules. To solve this limitation, we design a mechanism for DNP in the liquid phase that is applicable for large interaction correlation times. Importantly, while this mechanism makes use of a resonance condition similar to solid-state DNP, the polarization transfer is robust to a relatively large detuning from the resonance due to molecular motion. We combine this scheme with optically polarized nitrogen-vacancy (NV) center spins in nanodiamonds to design a setup that employs optical pumping and is therefore not limited by room temperature electron thermal polarization. We illustrate numerically the effectiveness of the model in a flow cell containing nanodiamonds immobilized in a hydrogel, polarizing flowing water molecules 4700-fold above thermal polarization in a magnetic field of 0.35 T, in volumes detectable by current NMR scanners.

Scaling Limit for a Generalization of the Nelson Model and its Application to Nuclear Physics

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Suzuki, Akito

We study a mathematically rigorous derivation of a quantum mechanical Hamiltonian in a general framework. We derive such a Hamiltonian by taking a scaling limit for a generalization of the Nelson model, which is an abstract interaction model between particles and a Bose field with some internal degrees of freedom. Applying it to a model for the field of the nuclear force with isospins, we obtain a Schrödinger Hamiltonian with a matrix-valued potential, the one pion exchange potential, describing an effective interaction between nucleons.

Influence of the nuclear matter equation of state on the r-mode instability using the finite-range simple effective interaction

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Pattnaik, S. P.; Routray, T. R.; Viñas, X.; Basu, D. N.; Centelles, M.; Madhuri, K.; Behera, B.

2018-05-01

The characteristic physical properties of rotating neutron stars under the r-mode oscillation are evaluated using the finite-range simple effective interaction. Emphasis is given on examining the influence of the stiffness of both the symmetric and asymmetric parts of the nuclear equation of state on these properties. The amplitude of the r-mode at saturation is calculated using the data of particular neutron stars from the considerations of ‘spin equilibrium’ and ‘thermal equilibrium’. The upper limit of the r-mode saturation amplitude is found to lie in the range 10‑8–10‑6, in agreement with the predictions of earlier work.

Effect of the magnetic dipole interaction on a spin-1 system

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Hu, Fangqi; Jia, Wei; Zhao, Qing

2018-05-01

We consider a hybrid system composed of a spin-1 triplet coupled to a nuclear spin. We study the effect of the axisymmetric and the quadrupole term of the magnetic dipole interaction between the two electrons forming the triplet on the energy spectrum in a static magnetic field. The energy spectrum obtained by directly diagonalizing the Hamiltonian of the system shows that these two terms not only remove the special crossings that appear in the absence of the magnetic dipole interaction, but also produce new (avoided) crossings by lifting the relevant levels. Specially, the gaps between the avoided crossing levels increase with the strength of the quadrupole term. In order to accurately illustrate these effects, we present the results for the discriminant and von Neumann entropy of one electron interacting with the rest of the whole system. Finally, by numerically solving the time-dependent Schrödinger equations of the system, we discover that the polarization oscillation of electron and nuclear spin is in-phase and the total average longitudinal spin is not conserved at location of avoided crossing, but the two results are opposite beyond that.

Galaxy interactions and the stimulation of nuclear activity

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Heckman, Timothy M.

1990-01-01

The author discusses the idea that interactions between galaxies can lead to enhanced galactic activity. He discusses whether, apart from the observational evidence, there is a strong theoretical or heuristic motivation for investigating galaxy interactions as stimulators of nuclear activity in galaxies. Galactic interactions as mechanisms for triggering nuclear starbursts are covered.

NuSTEC1 White Paper: Status and challenges of neutrino-nucleus scattering

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Alvarez-Ruso, L.; Sajjad Athar, M.; Barbaro, M. B.; Cherdack, D.; Christy, M. E.; Coloma, P.; Donnelly, T. W.; Dytman, S.; de Gouvêa, A.; Hill, R. J.; Huber, P.; Jachowicz, N.; Katori, T.; Kronfeld, A. S.; Mahn, K.; Martini, M.; Morfín, J. G.; Nieves, J.; Perdue, G. N.; Petti, R.; Richards, D. G.; Sánchez, F.; Sato, T.; Sobczyk, J. T.; Zeller, G. P.

2018-05-01

The precise measurement of neutrino properties is among the highest priorities in fundamental particle physics, involving many experiments worldwide. Since the experiments rely on the interactions of neutrinos with bound nucleons inside atomic nuclei, the planned advances in the scope and precision of these experiments require a commensurate effort in the understanding and modeling of the hadronic and nuclear physics of these interactions, which is incorporated as a nuclear model in neutrino event generators. This model is essential to every phase of experimental analyses and its theoretical uncertainties play an important role in interpreting every result. In this White Paper we discuss in detail the impact of neutrino-nucleus interactions, especially the nuclear effects, on the measurement of neutrino properties using the determination of oscillation parameters as a central example. After an Executive Summary and a concise Overview of the issues, we explain how the neutrino event generators work, what can be learned from electron-nucleus interactions and how each underlying physics process - from quasi-elastic to deep inelastic scattering - is understood today. We then emphasize how our understanding must improve to meet the demands of future experiments. With every topic we find that the challenges can be met only with the active support and collaboration among specialists in strong interactions and electroweak physics that include theorists and experimentalists from both the nuclear and high energy physics communities.

NuSTEC White Paper: Status and Challenges of Neutrino-Nucleus Scattering

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Alvarez-Ruso, L.; et al.

The precise measurement of neutrino properties is among the highest priorities in fundamental particle physics, involving many experiments worldwide. Since the experiments rely on the interactions of neutrinos with bound nucleons inside atomic nuclei, the planned advances in the scope and precision of these experiments requires a commensurate effort in the understanding and modeling of the hadronic and nuclear physics of these interactions, which is incorporated as a nuclear model in neutrino event generators. This model is essential to every phase of experimental analyses and its theoretical uncertainties play an important role in interpreting every result. In this White Papermore » we discuss in detail the impact of neutrino-nucleus interactions, especially the nuclear effects, on the measurement of neutrino properties using the determination of oscillation parameters as a central example. After an Executive Summary and a concise Overview of the issues, we explain how the neutrino event generators work, what can be learned from electron-nucleus interactions and how each underlying physics process - from quasi-elastic to deep inelastic scattering - is understood today. We then emphasize how our understanding must improve to meet the demands of future experiments. With every topic we find that the challenges can be met only with the active support and collaboration among specialists in strong interactions and electroweak physics that include theorists and experimentalists from both the nuclear and high energy physics communities.« less

Four nucleocytoplasmic-shuttling proteins and p53 interact specifically with the YB-NLS and are involved in anticancer reagent-induced nuclear localization of YB-1

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Tanaka, Toru; Ohashi, Sachiyo; Kobayashi, Shunsuke

In cancer cells, anticancer reagents often trigger nuclear accumulation of YB-1, which participates in the progression of cancer malignancy. YB-1 has a non-canonical nuclear localization signal (YB-NLS). Here we found that four nucleocytoplasmic-shuttling RNA-binding proteins and p53 interact specifically with the YB-NLS and co-accumulate with YB-1 in the nucleus of actinomycin D-treated cells. To elucidate the roles of these YB-NLS-binding proteins, we performed a dominant-negative experiment in which a large excess of YB-NLS interacts with the YB-NLS-binding proteins, and showed inhibitory effects on actinomycin D-induced nuclear transport of endogenous YB-1 and subsequent MDR1 gene expression. Furthermore, the YB-NLS-expressing cells weremore » also found to show increased drug sensitivity. Our results suggest that these YB-NLS-associating proteins are key factors for nuclear translocation/accumulation of YB-1 in cancer cells. - Highlights: • Four nucleocytoplasmic-shuttling proteins and p53 associate with YB-NLS. • They showed nuclear co-accumulation with YB-1 in actinomycin D-treated cells. • Overexpression of YB-NLS was carried out to take YB-NLS-binding proteins from YB-1. • YB-NLS inhibited actinomycin D-induced nuclear localization of endogenous YB-1. • YB-NLS suppressed actinomycin D-induced expression of MDR1.« less

Numerical studies on alpha production from high energy proton beam interaction with Boron

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Moustaizis, S. D.; Lalousis, P.; Hora, H.; Korn, G.

2017-05-01

Numerical investigations on high energy proton beam interaction with high density Boron plasma allows to simulate conditions concerning the alpha production from recent experimental measurements . The experiments measure the alpha production due to p11B nuclear fusion reactions when a laser-driven high energy proton beam interacts with Boron plasma produced by laser beam interaction with solid Boron. The alpha production and consequently the efficiency of the process depends on the initial proton beam energy, proton beam density, the Boron plasma density and temperature, and their temporal evolution. The main advantage for the p11B nuclear fusion reaction is the production of three alphas with total energy of 8.9 MeV, which could enhance the alpha heating effect and improve the alpha production. This particular effect is termed in the international literature as the alpha avalanche effect. Numerical results using a multi-fluid, global particle and energy balance, code shows the alpha production efficiency as a function of the initial energy of the proton beam, the Boron plasma density, the initial Boron plasma temperature and the temporal evolution of the plasma parameters. The simulations enable us to determine the interaction conditions (proton beam - B plasma) for which the alpha heating effect becomes important.

Breit interaction effects in relativistic theory of the nuclear spin-rotation tensor.

PubMed

Aucar, I Agustín; Gómez, Sergio S; Giribet, Claudia G; Ruiz de Azúa, Martín C

2013-09-07

In this work, relativistic effects on the nuclear spin-rotation (SR) tensor originated in the electron-nucleus and electron-electron Breit interactions are analysed. To this end, four-component numerical calculations were carried out in model systems HX (X=H,F,Cl,Br,I). The electron-nucleus Breit interaction couples the electrons and nuclei dynamics giving rise to a purely relativistic contribution to the SR tensor. Its leading order in 1/c is of the same value as that of relativistic corrections on the usual second order expression of the SR tensor considered in previous work [I. A. Aucar, S. S. Gómez, J. I. Melo, C. G. Giribet, and M. C. Ruiz de Azúa, J. Chem. Phys. 138, 134107 (2013)], and therefore it is absolutely necessary to establish its relative importance. For the sake of completeness, the corresponding effect originating in the electron-electron Breit interaction is also considered. It is verified that in all cases these Breit interactions yield only very small corrections to the SR tensors of both the X and H nuclei in the present series of compounds. Results of the present work strongly suggest that in order to achieve experimental accuracy in the theoretical study of the SR tensor both electron-nucleus and electron-electron Breit effects can be safely neglected.

Chiral symmetry and the nucleon-nucleon interaction

DOE PAGES

Machleidt, Ruprecht

2016-04-20

We review how nuclear forces emerge from low-energy quantum chromodynamics (QCD) via chiral effective field theory (EFT). During the past two decades, this approach has evolved into a powerful tool to derive nuclear two- and many-body forces in a systematic and model-independent way. We then focus on the nucleon-nucleon (NN) interaction and show in detail how, governed by chiral symmetry, the long- and intermediate-range of the NN potential builds up order by order. We proceed up to sixth order in small momenta, where convergence is achieved. Lastly, the final result allows for a full assessment of the validity of themore » chiral EFT approach to the NN interaction.« less

Regulation of NT-PGC-1alpha subcellular localization and function by protein kinase A-dependent modulation of nuclear export by CRM1.

PubMed

Chang, Ji Suk; Huypens, Peter; Zhang, Yubin; Black, Chelsea; Kralli, Anastasia; Gettys, Thomas W

2010-06-04

Peroxisome proliferator-activated receptor gamma co-activator-1alpha (PGC-1alpha) plays a central role in the regulation of cellular energy metabolism and metabolic adaptation to environmental and nutritional stimuli. We recently described a novel, biologically active splice variant of PGC-1alpha (NT-PGC-1alpha, amino acids 1-270) that retains the ability to interact with and transactivate nuclear hormone receptors through its N-terminal transactivation domain. Whereas PGC-1alpha is an unstable nuclear protein sensitive to ubiquitin-mediated targeting to the proteasome, NT-PGC-1alpha is relatively stable and predominantly cytoplasmic, suggesting that its ability to interact with and activate nuclear receptors and transcription factors is dependent upon regulated access to the nucleus. We provide evidence that NT-PGC-1alpha interacts with the nuclear exportin, CRM1, through a specific leucine-rich domain (nuclear export sequence) that regulates its export to the cytoplasm. The nuclear export of NT-PGC-1alpha is inhibited by protein kinase A-dependent phosphorylation of Ser-194, Ser-241, and Thr-256 on NT-PGC-1alpha, which effectively increases its nuclear concentration. Using site-directed mutagenesis to prevent or mimic phosphorylation at these sites, we show that the transcriptional activity of NT-PGC-1alpha is regulated in part through regulation of its subcellular localization. These findings suggest that the function of NT-PGC-1alpha as a transcriptional co-activator is regulated by protein kinase A-dependent inhibition of CRM1-mediated export from the nucleus.

Electron and nuclear spin interactions in the optical spectra of single GaAs quantum dots.

PubMed

Gammon, D; Efros, A L; Kennedy, T A; Rosen, M; Katzer, D S; Park, D; Brown, S W; Korenev, V L; Merkulov, I A

2001-05-28

Fine and hyperfine splittings arising from electron, hole, and nuclear spin interactions in the magneto-optical spectra of individual localized excitons are studied. We explain the magnetic field dependence of the energy splitting through competition between Zeeman, exchange, and hyperfine interactions. An unexpectedly small hyperfine contribution to the splitting close to zero applied field is described well by the interplay between fluctuations of the hyperfine field experienced by the nuclear spin and nuclear dipole/dipole interactions.

I. Excluded volume effects in Ising cluster distributions and nuclear multifragmentation. II. Multiple-chance effects in alpha-particle evaporation

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Breus, Dimitry Eugene

In Part I, geometric clusters of the Ising model are studied as possible model clusters for nuclear multifragmentation. These clusters may not be considered as non-interacting (ideal gas) due to excluded volume effect which predominantly is the artifact of the cluster's finite size. Interaction significantly complicates the use of clusters in the analysis of thermodynamic systems. Stillinger's theory is used as a basis for the analysis, which within the RFL (Reiss, Frisch, Lebowitz) fluid-of-spheres approximation produces a prediction for cluster concentrations well obeyed by geometric clusters of the Ising model. If thermodynamic condition of phase coexistence is met, these concentrations can be incorporated into a differential equation procedure of moderate complexity to elucidate the liquid-vapor phase diagram of the system with cluster interaction included. The drawback of increased complexity is outweighted by the reward of greater accuracy of the phase diagram, as it is demonstrated by the Ising model. A novel nuclear-cluster analysis procedure is developed by modifying Fisher's model to contain cluster interaction and employing the differential equation procedure to obtain thermodynamic variables. With this procedure applied to geometric clusters, the guidelines are developed to look for excluded volume effect in nuclear multifragmentation. In Part II, an explanation is offered for the recently observed oscillations in the energy spectra of alpha-particles emitted from hot compound nuclei. Contrary to what was previously expected, the oscillations are assumed to be caused by the multiple-chance nature of alpha-evaporation. In a semi-empirical fashion this assumption is successfully confirmed by a technique of two-spectra decomposition which treats experimental alpha-spectra as having contributions from at least two independent emitters. Building upon the success of the multiple-chance explanation of the oscillations, Moretto's single-chance evaporation theory is augmented to include multiple-chance emission and tested on experimental data to yield positive results.

Effects of nuclear spins on the transport properties of the edge of two-dimensional topological insulators

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Hsu, Chen-Hsuan; Stano, Peter; Klinovaja, Jelena; Loss, Daniel

2018-03-01

The electrons in the edge channels of two-dimensional topological insulators can be described as a helical Tomonaga-Luttinger liquid. They couple to nuclear spins embedded in the host materials through the hyperfine interaction, and are therefore subject to elastic spin-flip backscattering on the nuclear spins. We investigate the nuclear-spin-induced edge resistance due to such backscattering by performing a renormalization-group analysis. Remarkably, the effect of this backscattering mechanism is stronger in a helical edge than in nonhelical channels, which are believed to be present in the trivial regime of InAs/GaSb quantum wells. In a system with sufficiently long edges, the disordered nuclear spins lead to an edge resistance which grows exponentially upon lowering the temperature. On the other hand, electrons from the edge states mediate an anisotropic Ruderman-Kittel-Kasuya-Yosida nuclear spin-spin interaction, which induces a spiral nuclear spin order below the transition temperature. We discuss the features of the spiral order, as well as its experimental signatures. In the ordered phase, we identify two backscattering mechanisms, due to charge impurities and magnons. The backscattering on charge impurities is allowed by the internally generated magnetic field, and leads to an Anderson-type localization of the edge states. The magnon-mediated backscattering results in a power-law resistance, which is suppressed at zero temperature. Overall, we find that in a sufficiently long edge the nuclear spins, whether ordered or not, suppress the edge conductance to zero as the temperature approaches zero.

Ion specific effects: decoupling ion-ion and ion-water interactions

PubMed Central

Song, Jinsuk; Kang, Tae Hui; Kim, Mahn Won; Han, Songi

2015-01-01

Ion-specific effects in aqueous solution, known as the Hofmeister effect is prevalent in diverse systems ranging from pure ionic to complex protein solutions. The objective of this paper is to explicitly demonstrate how complex ion-ion and ion-water interactions manifest themselves in the Hofmeister effects, based on a series of recent experimental observation. These effects are not considered in the classical description of ion effects, such as the Deryaguin-Landau-Verwey-Overbeek (DLVO) theory that, likely for that reason, fail to describe the origin of the phenomenological Hofmeister effect. However, given that models considering the basic forces of electrostatic and van der Waals interactions can offer rationalization for the core experimental observations, a universal interaction model stands a chance to be developed. In this perspective, we separately derive the contribution from ion-ion electrostatic interaction and ion-water interaction from second harmonic generation (SHG) data at the air-ion solution interface, which yields an estimate of ion-water interactions in solution. Hofmeister ion effects observed on biological solutes in solution should be similarly influenced by contributions from ion-ion and ion-water interactions, where the same ion-water interaction parameters derived from SHG data at the air-ion solution interface could be applicable. A key experimental data set available from solution systems to probe ion-water interaction is the modulation of water diffusion dynamics near ions in bulk ion solution, as well as near biological liposome surfaces. It is obtained from Overhauser dynamic nuclear polarization (ODNP), a nuclear magnetic resonance (NMR) relaxometry technique. The surface water diffusivity is influenced by the contribution from ion-water interactions, both from localized surface charges and adsorbed ions, although the relative contribution of the former is larger on liposome surfaces. In this perspective, ion-water interaction energy values derived from experimental data for various ions are compared with theoretical values in the literature. Ultimately, quantifying ion-induced changes in surface energy for the purpose of developing valid theoretical models for ion-water interaction, will be critical to rationalizing the Hofmeister effect. PMID:25761273

Effects of charge symmetry on heavy ion reaction mechanisms

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Colonna, M.; di Toro, M.; Fabbri, G.; Maccarone, S.

1998-03-01

We suggest several possibilities to study the properties of the symmetry term in the nuclear equation of state from radioactive beam experiments. Collision simulations with a stochastic transport approach, where asymmetry effects are suitably introduced, are presented. The dynamical response of an interacting highly asymmetric nuclear matter can be studied, taking advantage of the neutron skin structure. The main reaction mechanisms, from fusion to deep inelastic and fragmentation, appear quite sensitive to the form of the symmetry term of the effective force used, opening some new appealing experimental perspectives. Finally new features of fragment production are presented, due to the onset of chemical plus mechanical instabilities in dilute asymmetric nuclear matter.

Final project report for NEET pulsed ion beam project

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Kucheyev, S. O.

The major goal of this project was to develop and demonstrate a novel experimental approach to access the dynamic regime of radiation damage formation in nuclear materials. In particular, the project exploited a pulsed-ion-beam method in order to gain insight into defect interaction dynamics by measuring effective defect interaction time constants and defect diffusion lengths. This project had the following four major objectives: (i) the demonstration of the pulsed ion beam method for a prototypical nuclear ceramic material, SiC; (ii) the evaluation of the robustness of the pulsed beam method from studies of defect generation rate effects; (iii) the measurementmore » of the temperature dependence of defect dynamics and thermally activated defect-interaction processes by pulsed ion beam techniques; and (iv) the demonstration of alternative characterization techniques to study defect dynamics. As we describe below, all these objectives have been met.« less

Shakeoff Ionization near the Coulomb Barrier Energy.

PubMed

Sharma, Prashant; Nandi, T

2017-11-17

We measure the projectile K x-ray spectra as a function of the beam energies around the Coulomb barrier in different collision systems. The energy is scanned in small steps around the barrier aiming to explore the nuclear effects on the elastically scattered projectile ions. The variation of the projectile x-ray energy with the ion-beam energies exhibits an unusual increase in between the interaction barrier and fusion barrier energies. This additional contribution to the projectile ionization can be attributed to the shakeoff of outer-shell electrons of the projectile ions due to the sudden nuclear recoil (∼10^{-21}  sec) caused by the attractive nuclear potential, which gets switched on near the interaction barrier energy. In the sudden approximation limit, the theoretical shakeoff probability calculation due to the nuclear recoil explains the observed data well. In addition to its fundamental interest, such processes can play a significant role in dark matter detection through the possible mechanism of x-ray emissions, where the weakly interacting massive particle-nucleus elastic scattering can lead to the nuclear-recoil-induced inner-shell vacancy creations. Furthermore, the present work may provide new prospects for atomic physics research at barrier energies as well as provide a novel technique to perform barrier distribution studies for two-body systems.

Shakeoff Ionization near the Coulomb Barrier Energy

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Sharma, Prashant; Nandi, T.

2017-11-01

We measure the projectile K x-ray spectra as a function of the beam energies around the Coulomb barrier in different collision systems. The energy is scanned in small steps around the barrier aiming to explore the nuclear effects on the elastically scattered projectile ions. The variation of the projectile x-ray energy with the ion-beam energies exhibits an unusual increase in between the interaction barrier and fusion barrier energies. This additional contribution to the projectile ionization can be attributed to the shakeoff of outer-shell electrons of the projectile ions due to the sudden nuclear recoil (˜10-21 sec ) caused by the attractive nuclear potential, which gets switched on near the interaction barrier energy. In the sudden approximation limit, the theoretical shakeoff probability calculation due to the nuclear recoil explains the observed data well. In addition to its fundamental interest, such processes can play a significant role in dark matter detection through the possible mechanism of x-ray emissions, where the weakly interacting massive particle-nucleus elastic scattering can lead to the nuclear-recoil-induced inner-shell vacancy creations. Furthermore, the present work may provide new prospects for atomic physics research at barrier energies as well as provide a novel technique to perform barrier distribution studies for two-body systems.

Final state interactions and inclusive nuclear collisions

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Cucinotta, Francis A.; Dubey, Rajendra R.

1993-01-01

A scattering formalism is developed in a multiple scattering model to describe inclusive momentum distributions for high-energy projectiles. The effects of final state interactions on response functions and momentum distributions are investigated. Calculations for high-energy protons that include shell model response functions are compared with experiments.

Complex-energy approach to sum rules within nuclear density functional theory

DOE PAGES

Hinohara, Nobuo; Kortelainen, Markus; Nazarewicz, Witold; ...

2015-04-27

The linear response of the nucleus to an external field contains unique information about the effective interaction, correlations governing the behavior of the many-body system, and properties of its excited states. To characterize the response, it is useful to use its energy-weighted moments, or sum rules. By comparing computed sum rules with experimental values, the information content of the response can be utilized in the optimization process of the nuclear Hamiltonian or nuclear energy density functional (EDF). But the additional information comes at a price: compared to the ground state, computation of excited states is more demanding. To establish anmore » efficient framework to compute energy-weighted sum rules of the response that is adaptable to the optimization of the nuclear EDF and large-scale surveys of collective strength, we have developed a new technique within the complex-energy finite-amplitude method (FAM) based on the quasiparticle random- phase approximation. The proposed sum-rule technique based on the complex-energy FAM is a tool of choice when optimizing effective interactions or energy functionals. The method is very efficient and well-adaptable to parallel computing. As a result, the FAM formulation is especially useful when standard theorems based on commutation relations involving the nuclear Hamiltonian and external field cannot be used.« less

Nuclear aggregates of polyamines in a radiation-induced DNA damage model.

PubMed

Iacomino, Giuseppe; Picariello, Gianluca; Stillitano, Ilaria; D'Agostino, Luciano

2014-02-01

Polyamines (PA) are believed to protect DNA minimizing the effect of radiation damage either by inducing DNA compaction and aggregation or acting as scavengers of free radicals. Using an in vitro pDNA double strand breakage assay based on gel electrophoretic mobility, we compared the protective capability of PA against γ-radiation with that of compounds generated by the supramolecular self-assembly of nuclear polyamines and phosphates, named Nuclear Aggregates of Polyamines (NAPs). Both unassembled PA and in vitro produced NAPs (ivNAPs) were ineffective in conferring pDNA protection at the sub-mM concentration. Single PA showed an appreciable protective effect only at high (mM) concentrations. However, concentrations of spermine (4+) within a critical range (0.481 mM) induced pDNA precipitation, an event that was not observed with NAPs-pDNA interaction. We conclude that the interaction of individual PA is ineffective to assure DNA protection, simultaneously preserving the flexibility and charge density of the double strand. Furthermore, data obtained by testing polyamine and ivNAPS with the current radiation-induced DNA damage model support the concept that PA-phosphate aggregates are the only forms through which PA interact with DNA. Copyright © 2013 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

Inhibition of CRM1-mediated nuclear export of transcription factors by leukemogenic NUP98 fusion proteins.

PubMed

Takeda, Akiko; Sarma, Nayan J; Abdul-Nabi, Anmaar M; Yaseen, Nabeel R

2010-05-21

NUP98 is a nucleoporin that plays complex roles in the nucleocytoplasmic trafficking of macromolecules. Rearrangements of the NUP98 gene in human leukemia result in the expression of numerous fusion oncoproteins whose effect on nucleocytoplasmic trafficking is poorly understood. The present study was undertaken to determine the effects of leukemogenic NUP98 fusion proteins on CRM1-mediated nuclear export. NUP98-HOXA9, a prototypic NUP98 fusion, inhibited the nuclear export of two known CRM1 substrates: mutated cytoplasmic nucleophosmin and HIV-1 Rev. In vitro binding assays revealed that NUP98-HOXA9 binds CRM1 through the FG repeat motif in a Ran-GTP-dependent manner similar to but stronger than the interaction between CRM1 and its export substrates. Two NUP98 fusions, NUP98-HOXA9 and NUP98-DDX10, whose fusion partners are structurally and functionally unrelated, interacted with endogenous CRM1 in myeloid cells as shown by co-immunoprecipitation. These leukemogenic NUP98 fusion proteins interacted with CRM1, Ran, and the nucleoporin NUP214 in a manner fundamentally different from that of wild-type NUP98. NUP98-HOXA9 and NUP98-DDX10 formed characteristic aggregates within the nuclei of a myeloid cell line and primary human CD34+ cells and caused aberrant localization of CRM1 to these aggregates. These NUP98 fusions caused nuclear accumulation of two transcription factors, NFAT and NFkappaB, that are regulated by CRM1-mediated export. The nuclear entrapment of NFAT and NFkappaB correlated with enhanced transcription from promoters responsive to these transcription factors. Taken together, the results suggest a new mechanism by which NUP98 fusions dysregulate transcription and cause leukemia, namely, inhibition of CRM1-mediated nuclear export with aberrant nuclear retention of transcriptional regulators.

Nuclear import of transcription factor BR-C is mediated by its interaction with RACK1.

PubMed

Cheng, Daojun; Qian, Wenliang; Wang, Yonghu; Meng, Meng; Wei, Ling; Li, Zhiqing; Kang, Lixia; Peng, Jian; Xia, Qingyou

2014-01-01

The transcription factor Broad Complex (BR-C) is an early ecdysone response gene in insects and contains two types of domains: two zinc finger domains for the activation of gene transcription and a Bric-a-brac/Tramtrack/Broad complex (BTB) domain for protein-protein interaction. Although the mechanism of zinc finger-mediated gene transcription is well studied, the partners interacting with the BTB domain of BR-C has not been elucidated until now. Here, we performed a yeast two-hybrid screen using the BTB domain of silkworm BR-C as bait and identified the receptor for activated C-kinase 1 (RACK1), a scaffolding/anchoring protein, as the novel partner capable of interacting with BR-C. The interaction between BR-C and RACK1 was further confirmed by far-western blotting and pull-down assays. Importantly, the disruption of this interaction, via RNAi against the endogenous RACK1 gene or deletion of the BTB domain, abolished the nuclear import of BR-C in BmN4 cells. In addition, RNAi against the endogenous PKC gene as well as phosphorylation-deficient mutation of the predicted PKC phosphorylation sites at either Ser373 or Thr406 in BR-C phenocopied RACK1 RNAi and altered the nuclear localization of BR-C. However, when BTB domain was deleted, phosphorylation mimics of either Ser373 or Thr406 had no effect on the nuclear import of BR-C. Moreover, mutating the PKC phosphorylation sites at Ser373 and Thr406 or deleting the BTB domain significantly decreased the transcriptional activation of a BR-C target gene. Given that RACK1 is necessary for recruiting PKC to close and phosphorylate target proteins, we suggest that the PKC-mediated phosphorylation and nuclear import of BR-C is determined by its interaction with RACK1. This novel finding will be helpful for further deciphering the mechanism underlying the role of BR-C proteins during insect development.

Nuclear Import of Transcription Factor BR-C Is Mediated by Its Interaction with RACK1

PubMed Central

Wang, Yonghu; Meng, Meng; Wei, Ling; Li, Zhiqing; Kang, Lixia; Peng, Jian; Xia, Qingyou

2014-01-01

The transcription factor Broad Complex (BR-C) is an early ecdysone response gene in insects and contains two types of domains: two zinc finger domains for the activation of gene transcription and a Bric-a-brac/Tramtrack/Broad complex (BTB) domain for protein-protein interaction. Although the mechanism of zinc finger-mediated gene transcription is well studied, the partners interacting with the BTB domain of BR-C has not been elucidated until now. Here, we performed a yeast two-hybrid screen using the BTB domain of silkworm BR-C as bait and identified the receptor for activated C-kinase 1 (RACK1), a scaffolding/anchoring protein, as the novel partner capable of interacting with BR-C. The interaction between BR-C and RACK1 was further confirmed by far-western blotting and pull-down assays. Importantly, the disruption of this interaction, via RNAi against the endogenous RACK1 gene or deletion of the BTB domain, abolished the nuclear import of BR-C in BmN4 cells. In addition, RNAi against the endogenous PKC gene as well as phosphorylation-deficient mutation of the predicted PKC phosphorylation sites at either Ser373 or Thr406 in BR-C phenocopied RACK1 RNAi and altered the nuclear localization of BR-C. However, when BTB domain was deleted, phosphorylation mimics of either Ser373 or Thr406 had no effect on the nuclear import of BR-C. Moreover, mutating the PKC phosphorylation sites at Ser373 and Thr406 or deleting the BTB domain significantly decreased the transcriptional activation of a BR-C target gene. Given that RACK1 is necessary for recruiting PKC to close and phosphorylate target proteins, we suggest that the PKC-mediated phosphorylation and nuclear import of BR-C is determined by its interaction with RACK1. This novel finding will be helpful for further deciphering the mechanism underlying the role of BR-C proteins during insect development. PMID:25280016

Using Nucleon Multiplicities to Analyze Anti-Neutrino Interactions with Nuclei

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Elkins, Miranda J.

The most commonly used, simple interaction models have not accurately described the nuclear effects on either neutrino-nucleus or anti-neutrino-nucleus interactions. Comparison of data collected by the MINERvA experiment and these models shows a discrepancy in the reconstructed hadronic energy distribution at momentum transfers below 0.8 GeV. Two nuclear model effects that were previously not modeled are possible culprits of this discrepancy. The first is known as random-phase-approximation and the second is the addition of a meson exchange current process, also known as two-particle two-hole due to its result in two particles leaving the nucleus with two holes left in theirmore » place. For the first time a neutron counting software algorithm has been created and used to compare the multiplicity and spatial distributions of neutrons between the simulation and data. There is localized sensitivity to the RPA and 2p2h effects and both help the simulation better describe the data. Ad ditional systematic or model effects are present which cause the simulation to overproduce neutrons, and potential causes are discussed.« less

Effects of medium on nuclear properties in multifragmentation

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

De, J. N.; Samaddar, S. K.; Viñas, X.; Centelles, M.; Mishustin, I. N.; Greiner, W.

2012-08-01

In multifragmentation of hot nuclear matter, properties of fragments embedded in a soup of nucleonic gas and other fragments should be modified as compared with isolated nuclei. Such modifications are studied within a simple model where only nucleons and one kind of heavy nuclei are considered. The interaction between different species is described with a momentum-dependent two-body potential whose parameters are fitted to reproduce properties of cold isolated nuclei. The internal energy of heavy fragments is parametrized according to a liquid-drop model with density- and temperature-dependent parameters. Calculations are carried out for several subnuclear densities and moderate temperatures, for isospin-symmetric and asymmetric systems. We find that the fragments get stretched due to interactions with the medium and their binding energies decrease with increasing temperature and density of nuclear matter.

CHD3 facilitates vRNP nuclear export by interacting with NES1 of influenza A virus NS2.

PubMed

Hu, Yong; Liu, Xiaokun; Zhang, Anding; Zhou, Hongbo; Liu, Ziduo; Chen, Huanchun; Jin, Meilin

2015-03-01

NS2 from influenza A virus mediates Crm1-dependent vRNP nuclear export through interaction with Crm1. However, even though the nuclear export signal 1 (NES1) of NS2 does not play a requisite role in NS2-Crm1 interaction, there is no doubt that NES1 is crucial for vRNP nuclear export. While the mechanism of the NES1 is still unclear, it is speculated that certain host partners might mediate the NES1 function through their interaction with NES1. In the present study, chromodomain-helicase-DNA-binding protein 3 (CHD3) was identified as a novel host nuclear protein for locating NS2 and Crm1 on dense chromatin for NS2 and Crm1-dependent vRNP nuclear export. CHD3 was confirmed to interact with NES1 in NS2, and a disruption to this interaction by mutation in NES1 significantly delayed viral vRNPs export and viral propagation. Further, the knockdown of CHD3 would affect the propagation of the wild-type virus but not the mutant with the weakened NS2-CHD3 interaction. Therefore, this study demonstrates that NES1 is required for maximal binding of NS2 to CHD3, and that the NS2-CHD3 interaction on the dense chromatin contributed to the NS2-mediated vRNP nuclear export.

Resonant Electromagnetic Interaction in Low Energy Nuclear Reactions

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Chubb, Scott

2008-03-01

Basic ideas about how resonant electromagnetic interaction (EMI) can take place in finite solids are reviewed. These ideas not only provide a basis for conventional, electron energy band theory (which explains charge and heat transport in solids), but they also explain how through finite size effects, it is possible to create many of the kinds of effects envisioned by Giuliano Preparata. The underlying formalism predicts that the orientation of the external fields in the SPAWAR protocolootnotetextKrivit, Steven B., New Energy Times, 2007, issue 21, item 10. http://newenergytimes.com/news/2007/NET21.htm^,ootnotetextSzpak, S.; Mosier-Boss, P.A.; Gordon, F.E. Further evidence of nuclear reactions in the Pd lattice: emission of charged particles. Naturwissenschaften 94,511(2007)..has direct bearing on the emission of high-energy particles. Resonant EMI also implies that nano-scale solids, of a particular size, provide an optimal environment for initiating Low Energy Nuclear Reactions (LENR) in the PdD system.

Multiple-Quantum Transitions and Charge-Induced Decoherence of Donor Nuclear Spins in Silicon

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Franke, David P.; Pflüger, Moritz P. D.; Itoh, Kohei M.; Brandt, Martin S.

2017-06-01

We study single- and multiquantum transitions of the nuclear spins of an ensemble of ionized arsenic donors in silicon and find quadrupolar effects on the coherence times, which we link to fluctuating electrical field gradients present after the application of light and bias voltage pulses. To determine the coherence times of superpositions of all orders in the 4-dimensional Hilbert space, we use a phase-cycling technique and find that, when electrical effects were allowed to decay, these times scale as expected for a fieldlike decoherence mechanism such as the interaction with surrounding Si 29 nuclear spins.

Responses of alloplasmic (cytoplasm=Triticum timopheevii) and euplasmic wheats (Triticum aestivum) to photoperiod and vernalization.

PubMed

Ward, R W; Heyne, E G; Paulsen, G M

1983-07-01

Studies were conducted to determine the influence of the male sterility-inducing cytoplasm of Triticum timopheevii (Zhuk.) Zhuk. on response of several common winter wheat (T. aestivum L.) nuclear genotypes to photoperiod and vernalization. Comparative studies of cytoplasmic substitution lines provide information on the role of the cytoplasmic genetic mechanism in growth and development. In the case of cytoplasmic male sterility-based hybrid production systems, ubiquity of sterility-inducing cytoplasm in derived hybrids warrants thorough characterization of its influence on plant phenotype. Factorial combinations of cytoplasm (T. timopheevii and T. aestivum), nuclear genotype, and photoperiod or vernalization treatments were evaluated under hydroponic conditions in controlled environment chambers. Interaction of cytoplasm, photoperiod, and nuclear genotype was significant in one or more experiments for days to anthesis and potential spikelet number, and interaction of cytoplasm, vernalization, and nuclear genotype was significant for days to spike emergence. Long day length was associated with increased percentage seed set in one study, but interactions of photoperiod and cytoplasm were not detected for percentage seed set. Interactions involving cytoplasm and photoperiod or vernalization were interpreted as evidence of the existence of genetic factors in cytoplsam of T. timopheevii which alter photoperiod or vernalization responses of alloplasmic plants relative to responses exhibited by euplasmic plants. Since photoperiod and vernalization responses are critical to adaptation, T. timopheevii cytoplasm can alter adaptability of T. aestivum. The specific effect would be nuclear genotype dependent, and does not appear to be of a magnitude greater than that induced by nuclear genetic variability at loci conditioning photoperiod or vernalization responses or other adaptation-determining characteristics. Normal multilocation/year testing of alloplasmic hybrids should therefore adequately identify zones of adaptation.

Structure of neutron star crusts from new Skyrme effective interactions constrained by chiral effective field theory

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Lim, Yeunhwan; Holt, Jeremy W.

2017-06-01

We investigate the structure of neutron star crusts, including the crust-core boundary, based on new Skyrme mean field models constrained by the bulk-matter equation of state from chiral effective field theory and the ground-state energies of doubly-magic nuclei. Nuclear pasta phases are studied using both the liquid drop model as well as the Thomas-Fermi approximation. We compare the energy per nucleon for each geometry (spherical nuclei, cylindrical nuclei, nuclear slabs, cylindrical holes, and spherical holes) to obtain the ground state phase as a function of density. We find that the size of the Wigner-Seitz cell depends strongly on the model parameters, especially the coefficients of the density gradient interaction terms. We employ also the thermodynamic instability method to check the validity of the numerical solutions based on energy comparisons.

Resonant Interaction, Approximate Symmetry, and Electromagnetic Interaction (EMI) in Low Energy Nuclear Reactions (LENR)

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Chubb, Scott

2007-03-01

Only recently (talk by P.A. Mosier-Boss et al, in this session) has it become possible to trigger high energy particle emission and Excess Heat, on demand, in LENR involving PdD. Also, most nuclear physicists are bothered by the fact that the dominant reaction appears to be related to the least common deuteron(d) fusion reaction,d+d ->α+γ. A clear consensus about the underlying effect has also been illusive. One reason for this involves confusion about the approximate (SU2) symmetry: The fact that all d-d fusion reactions conserve isospin has been widely assumed to mean the dynamics is driven by the strong force interaction (SFI), NOT EMI. Thus, most nuclear physicists assume: 1. EMI is static; 2. Dominant reactions have smallest changes in incident kinetic energy (T); and (because of 2), d+d ->α+γ is suppressed. But this assumes a stronger form of SU2 symmetry than is present; d+d ->α+γ reactions are suppressed not because of large changes in T but because the interaction potential involves EMI, is dynamic (not static), the SFI is static, and because the two incident deuterons must have approximate Bose Exchange symmetry and vanishing spin. A generalization of this idea involves a resonant form of reaction, similar to the de-excitation of an atom. These and related (broken gauge) symmetry EMI effects on LENR are discussed.

Nuclear import of Nkx2-2 is mediated by multiple pathways

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Lin, Wenbo; Xu, PengPeng; Guo, YingYing

Nkx2-2 homeoprotein is essential for the development of the central nervous system and pancreas. Although the nuclear localization signals of Nkx2-2 have been identified, the responsible transport receptor is still unknown. Here, we demonstrate that imp α1 not only interacts with Nkx2-2 but also transports it into the nucleus in vitro by acting together with imp β1. However, the nuclear import of Nkx2-2 in cells was not inhibited in response to knockdown expression of endogenous imp β1 or over-expression of Bimax2. Furthermore, imp β1 and imp 13, but not imp 4, directly interact with Nkx2-2 and are capable of transporting Nkx2-2more » in an in vitro import assay. By GST pull-down assay, we demonstrate that mutation of NLS1 or NLS2 has no effect on interaction with imp α1 or imp 13, but significantly reduced binding to imp β1. Thus, the nuclear import of Nkx2-2 is mediated not only by the classical import pathway but also directly by imp β1 or imp 13.« less

Shade-induced nuclear localization of PIF7 is regulated by phosphorylation and 14-3-3 proteins in Arabidopsis.

PubMed

Huang, Xu; Zhang, Qian; Jiang, Yupei; Yang, Chuanwei; Wang, Qianyue; Li, Lin

2018-06-21

Shade avoidance syndrome enables shaded plants to grow and compete effectively against their neighbors. In Arabidopsis , the shade-induced de-phosphorylation of the transcription factor PIF7 (PHYTOCHROME-INTERACTING FACTOR 7) is the key event linking light perception to stem elongation. However, the mechanism through which phosphorylation regulates the activity of PIF7 is unclear. Here, we show that shade light induces the de-phosphorylation and nuclear accumulation of PIF7. Phosphorylation-resistant site mutations in PIF7 result in increased nuclear localization and shade-induced gene expression, and consequently augment hypocotyl elongation. PIF7 interacts with 14-3-3 proteins. Blocking the interaction between PIF7 and 14-3-3 proteins or reducing the expression of 14-3-3 proteins accelerates shade-induced nuclear localization and de-phosphorylation of PIF7, and enhances the shade phenotype. By contrast, the 14-3-3 overexpressing line displays an attenuated shade phenotype. These studies demonstrate a phosphorylation-dependent translocation of PIF7 when plants are in shade and a novel mechanism involving 14-3-3 proteins, mediated by the retention of PIF7 in the cytoplasm that suppresses the shade response. © 2018, Huang et al.

Study of the Hyperon-Nucleon Interaction in Exclusive Λ Photoproduction off the Deuteron

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Zachariou, Nicholas; CLAS Collaboration

2014-09-01

Understanding the nature of the nuclear force in terms of the fundamental degrees of freedom of the theory of strong interaction, Quantum Chromodynamics (QCD), is one of the primary goals of modern nuclear physics. While the nucleon-nucleon (NN) interaction has been studied for decades, a systematic description of the NN potential has been achieved only recently with the development of low-energy Effective Field Theories (EFT). To obtain a comprehensive understanding of the strong interaction, dynamics involving strange baryons must be studied. Currently, little is known about the properties of the hyperon-nucleon (YN) and the hyperon-hyperon (YY) interactions. In this talk I will describe our current research of the Λn interaction using the E06-103 experiment performed with the CLAS detector in Hall B at Jefferson Lab. The large kinematic coverage of the CLAS combined with the exceptionally high quality of the experimental data allows to identify and select final-state interaction events in the reaction γd -->K+ Λn and to establish their kinematical dependencies. The large set of observables we aim to obtain will provide tight constraints on modern YN potentials. I will present the current status of the project and will discuss future incentives. Understanding the nature of the nuclear force in terms of the fundamental degrees of freedom of the theory of strong interaction, Quantum Chromodynamics (QCD), is one of the primary goals of modern nuclear physics. While the nucleon-nucleon (NN) interaction has been studied for decades, a systematic description of the NN potential has been achieved only recently with the development of low-energy Effective Field Theories (EFT). To obtain a comprehensive understanding of the strong interaction, dynamics involving strange baryons must be studied. Currently, little is known about the properties of the hyperon-nucleon (YN) and the hyperon-hyperon (YY) interactions. In this talk I will describe our current research of the Λn interaction using the E06-103 experiment performed with the CLAS detector in Hall B at Jefferson Lab. The large kinematic coverage of the CLAS combined with the exceptionally high quality of the experimental data allows to identify and select final-state interaction events in the reaction γd -->K+ Λn and to establish their kinematical dependencies. The large set of observables we aim to obtain will provide tight constraints on modern YN potentials. I will present the current status of the project and will discuss future incentives. for the CLAS Collaboration.

Physics Division annual review, 1 April 1980-31 March 1981

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Not Available

1982-06-01

Progress in nuclear physics research is reported in the following areas: medium-energy physics (pion reaction mechanisms, high-resolution studies and nuclear structure, and two-nucleon physics with pions and electrons); heavy-ion research at the tandem and superconducting linear accelerator (resonant structure in heavy-ion reactions, fusion cross sections, high angular momentum states in nuclei, and reaction mechanisms and distributions of reaction strengths); charged-particle research; neutron and photonuclear physics; theoretical physics (heavy-ion direct-reaction theory, nuclear shell theory and nuclear structure, nuclear matter and nuclear forces, intermediate-energy physics, microscopic calculations of high-energy collisions of heavy ions, and light ion direct reactions); the superconducting linac; acceleratormore » operations; and GeV electron linac. Progress in atomic and molecular physics research is reported in the following areas: dissociation and other interactions of energetic molecular ions in solid and gaseous targets, beam-foil research and collision dynamics of heavy ions, photoionization- photoelectron research, high-resolution laser rf spectroscopy with atomic and molecular beams, moessbauer effect research, and theoretical atomic physics. Studies on interactions of energetic particles with solids are also described. Publications are listed. (WHK)« less

Role of Per1-interacting protein of the suprachiasmatic nucleus in NGF mediated neuronal survival.

PubMed

Kiyama, Atsuko; Isojima, Yasushi; Nagai, Katsuya

2006-01-13

We previously identified Per1-interacting protein of the suprachiasmatic nucleus (PIPS) in rats. To reveal its role, its tissue distribution was examined by immunoblotting. PIPS-like immunoreactive substance (PIPSLS) was observed in the brain, adrenal gland, and PC12 cells. Since PIPS, which has no nuclear localization signal (NLS), is translocated into nuclei of COS-7 cells in the presence of mPer1, the effect of NGF on nuclear localization of PIPS was examined using PC12 cells. NGF caused nuclear translocation of either PIPSLS or GFP-PIPS. NGF mediated nuclear translocation of PIPSLS was blocked by K252a, a TrkA-inhibitor, or wortmannin, a PI3K-inhibitor. Gab1, which is implicated in TrkA signaling and has NLS, co-immunoprecipitated with PIPSLS from PC12 cells using an anti-PIPS antibody. Inhibition of PIPS expression by RNAi increased levels of apoptosis in PC12 cells. These findings suggest that nuclear translocation of PIPS is involved in NGF mediated neuronal survival via TrkA, PI3K, and Gab1 signaling pathway.

The nuclear Thomas-Fermi model

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Myers, W.D.; Swiatecki, W.J.

1994-08-01

The statistical Thomas-Fermi model is applied to a comprehensive survey of macroscopic nuclear properties. The model uses a Seyler-Blanchard effective nucleon-nucleon interaction, generalized by the addition of one momentum-dependent and one density-dependent term. The adjustable parameters of the interaction were fitted to shell-corrected masses of 1654 nuclei, to the diffuseness of the nuclear surface and to the measured depths of the optical model potential. With these parameters nuclear sizes are well reproduced, and only relatively minor deviations between measured and calculated fission barriers of 36 nuclei are found. The model determines the principal bulk and surface properties of nuclear mattermore » and provides estimates for the more subtle, Droplet Model, properties. The predicted energy vs density relation for neutron matter is in striking correspondence with the 1981 theoretical estimate of Friedman and Pandharipande. Other extreme situations to which the model is applied are a study of Sn isotopes from {sup 82}Sn to {sup 170}Sn, and the rupture into a bubble configuration of a nucleus (constrained to spherical symmetry) which takes place when Z{sup 2}/A exceeds about 100.« less

The Nuclear Thomas-Fermi Model

DOE R&D Accomplishments Database

Myers, W. D.; Swiatecki, W. J.

1994-08-01

The statistical Thomas-Fermi model is applied to a comprehensive survey of macroscopic nuclear properties. The model uses a Seyler-Blanchard effective nucleon-nucleon interaction, generalized by the addition of one momentum-dependent and one density-dependent term. The adjustable parameters of the interaction were fitted to shell-corrected masses of 1654 nuclei, to the diffuseness of the nuclear surface and to the measured depths of the optical model potential. With these parameters nuclear sizes are well reproduced, and only relatively minor deviations between measured and calculated fission barriers of 36 nuclei are found. The model determines the principal bulk and surface properties of nuclear matter and provides estimates for the more subtle, Droplet Model, properties. The predicted energy vs density relation for neutron matter is in striking correspondence with the 1981 theoretical estimate of Friedman and Pandharipande. Other extreme situations to which the model is applied are a study of Sn isotopes from {sup 82}Sn to {sup 170}Sn, and the rupture into a bubble configuration of a nucleus (constrained to spherical symmetry) which takes place when Z{sup 2}/A exceeds about 100.

Tackling the nuclear manpower shortage: industry, educators must work together

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Witzig, W.

1981-10-01

A 50% decline in graduate enrollment and an increase to 50% of foreign nationals among the nuclear engineering students since 1973 at Pennsylvania State University is typical of national trends, which have led to the closing of 13 undergraduate programs across the country. Penn State's proximity to Three Mile Island had less effect than its interactions with high schools and utilities in keeping the nuclear program as strong as it is. Penn State operates three separate career programs to interest high school students in a nuclear career. Institute of Nuclear Power Operations (INPO) educational assistance reflects industry interest, but moremore » scholarships are needed to broaden student awareness. (DCK)« less

Nuclear equation of state from ground and collective excited state properties of nuclei

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Roca-Maza, X.; Paar, N.

2018-07-01

This contribution reviews the present status on the available constraints to the nuclear equation of state (EoS) around saturation density from nuclear structure calculations on ground and collective excited state properties of atomic nuclei. It concentrates on predictions based on self-consistent mean-field calculations, which can be considered as an approximate realization of an exact energy density functional (EDF). EDFs are derived from effective interactions commonly fitted to nuclear masses, charge radii and, in many cases, also to pseudo-data such as nuclear matter properties. Although in a model dependent way, EDFs constitute nowadays a unique tool to reliably and consistently access bulk ground state and collective excited state properties of atomic nuclei along the nuclear chart as well as the EoS. For comparison, some emphasis is also given to the results obtained with the so called ab initio approaches that aim at describing the nuclear EoS based on interactions fitted to few-body data only. Bridging the existent gap between these two frameworks will be essential since it may allow to improve our understanding on the diverse phenomenology observed in nuclei. Examples on observations from astrophysical objects and processes sensitive to the nuclear EoS are also briefly discussed. As the main conclusion, the isospin dependence of the nuclear EoS around saturation density and, to a lesser extent, the nuclear matter incompressibility remain to be accurately determined. Experimental and theoretical efforts in finding and measuring observables specially sensitive to the EoS properties are of paramount importance, not only for low-energy nuclear physics but also for nuclear astrophysics applications.

Inhibitors for the Vitamin D Receptor–Coregulator Interaction

PubMed Central

Teske, Kelly A.; Yu, Olivia; Arnold, Leggy A.

2016-01-01

The vitamin D receptor (VDR) belongs to the superfamily of nuclear receptors and is activated by the endogenous ligand 1,25-dihydroxyvitamin D3. The genomic effects mediated by VDR consist of the activation and repression of gene transcription, which includes the formation of multi-protein complexes with coregulator proteins. Coregulators bind many nuclear receptors and can be categorized according their role as coactivators (gene activation) or corepressors (gene repression). Herein, different approaches to develop compounds that modulate the interaction between VDR and coregulators are summarized. This include coregulator peptides that were identified by creating phage display libraries. Subsequent modification of these peptides including the introduction of a tether or non-hydrolysable bonds resulted in the first direct VDR–coregulator inhibitors. Later, small molecules that inhibit VDR–coregulator inhibitors were identified using rational drug design and high throughput screening. Early on, allosteric inhibition of VDR–coregulator interactions was achieved with VDR antagonists that change the conformation of VDR and modulate the interactions with coregulators. A detailed discussion of their dual agonist/antagonist effects is given as well as a summary of their biological effects in cell-based assays and in vivo studies. PMID:26827948

Characterisation of high temperature refractory ceramics for nuclear applications

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Bottomley, P. D. W.; Wiss, Th; Janssen, A.; Cremer, B.; Thiele, H.; Manara, D.; Scheindlin, M.; Murray-Farthing, M.; Lajarge, P.; Menna, M.; Bouexière, D.; Rondinella, V. V.

2012-03-01

The ternary oxide ceramic system UO2-ZrO2-FeO is a refractory system that is of great relevance to the nuclear industry as it represents one of the main systems resulting from the interaction of the Zircaloy cladding, the UO2 fuel and the structural elements of a nuclear reactor. It is particularly the high temperature properties that require investigation; that is, when substantial overheating of the nuclear core occurs and interactions can lead to its degradation, melting and result in a severe nuclear accident. There has been much work on the UO2-ZrO2 system and also on the ternary system with FeO but there is still a need to examine 2 further aspects; firstly the effect of sub-oxidized systems, the UO2-Zr and FeO-Zr systems, and secondly the effect of Fe/Zr or Fe/U ratios on the melting point of the U-Zr-Fe oxide system. Samples of UO2-Zr and UO2-ZrO2-FeO were fabricated at ITU and then characterized by optical microscopy (OM) and X-ray diffraction to determine the ceramic's structure and verify the composition. Thereafter the samples are to be melted by laser flash heating and their liquidus and solidus temperatures determined by pyrometry. This programme is currently ongoing. The frozen samples, after testing, were then sectioned, polished and the molten zone micro-analytically examined by OM & SEM-EDS in order to determine its structure and composition and to compare with the existing phase diagrams. Examples of results from these systems will be given. Finally, a reacted Zr-FeO thermite mixture was examined, which had been used to generate high temperatures during tests of reactor melt-concrete interactions. The aim was to assess the reaction and estimate the heat generation from this novel technique. These results allow verification or improvement of the phase diagram and are of primary importance as input to models used to predict materials interactions in a severe nuclear accident.

Nuclear organization mediates cancer-compromised genetic and epigenetic control.

PubMed

Zaidi, Sayyed K; Fritz, Andrew; Tracy, Kirsten; Gordon, Jonathan; Tye, Coralee; Boyd, Joseph; Van Wijnen, Andre; Nickerson, Jeffrey; Imbalzano, Anthony; Lian, Jane; Stein, Janet; Stein, Gary

2018-05-09

Nuclear organization is functionally linked to genetic and epigenetic regulation of gene expression for biological control and is modified in cancer. Nuclear organization supports cell growth and phenotypic properties of normal and cancer cells by facilitating physiologically responsive interactions of chromosomes, genes and regulatory complexes at dynamic three-dimensional microenvironments. We will review nuclear structure/function relationships that include: 1. Epigenetic bookmarking of genes by phenotypic transcription factors to control fidelity and plasticity of gene expression as cells enter and exit mitosis; 2. Contributions of chromatin remodeling to breast cancer nuclear morphology, metabolism and effectiveness of chemotherapy; 3. Relationships between fidelity of nuclear organization and metastasis of breast cancer to bone; 4. Dynamic modifications of higher-order inter- and intra-chromosomal interactions in breast cancer cells; 5. Coordinate control of cell growth and phenotype by tissue-specific transcription factors; 6. Oncofetal epigenetic control by bivalent histone modifications that are functionally related to sustaining the stem cell phenotype; and 7. Noncoding RNA-mediated regulation in the onset and progression of breast cancer. The discovery of components to nuclear organization that are functionally related to cancer and compromise gene expression have the potential for translation to innovative cancer diagnosis and targeted therapy. Copyright © 2018 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

Compartmentalization and Functionality of Nuclear Disorder: Intrinsic Disorder and Protein-Protein Interactions in Intra-Nuclear Compartments

PubMed Central

Meng, Fanchi; Na, Insung; Kurgan, Lukasz; Uversky, Vladimir N.

2015-01-01

The cell nucleus contains a number of membrane-less organelles or intra-nuclear compartments. These compartments are dynamic structures representing liquid-droplet phases which are only slightly denser than the bulk intra-nuclear fluid. They possess different functions, have diverse morphologies, and are typically composed of RNA (or, in some cases, DNA) and proteins. We analyzed 3005 mouse proteins localized in specific intra-nuclear organelles, such as nucleolus, chromatin, Cajal bodies, nuclear speckles, promyelocytic leukemia (PML) nuclear bodies, nuclear lamina, nuclear pores, and perinuclear compartment and compared them with ~29,863 non-nuclear proteins from mouse proteome. Our analysis revealed that intrinsic disorder is enriched in the majority of intra-nuclear compartments, except for the nuclear pore and lamina. These compartments are depleted in proteins that lack disordered domains and enriched in proteins that have multiple disordered domains. Moonlighting proteins found in multiple intra-nuclear compartments are more likely to have multiple disordered domains. Protein-protein interaction networks in the intra-nuclear compartments are denser and include more hubs compared to the non-nuclear proteins. Hubs in the intra-nuclear compartments (except for the nuclear pore) are enriched in disorder compared with non-nuclear hubs and non-nuclear proteins. Therefore, our work provides support to the idea of the functional importance of intrinsic disorder in the cell nucleus and shows that many proteins associated with sub-nuclear organelles in nuclei of mouse cells are enriched in disorder. This high level of disorder in the mouse nuclear proteins defines their ability to serve as very promiscuous binders, possessing both large quantities of potential disorder-based interaction sites and the ability of a single such site to be involved in a large number of interactions. PMID:26712748

BEC-BCS crossover and the liquid-gas phase transition in hot and dense nuclear matter

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Jin Meng; Urban, Michael; Schuck, Peter

2010-08-15

The effect of nucleon-nucleon correlations in symmetric nuclear matter at finite temperature is studied beyond BCS theory. Starting from a Hartree-Fock description of nuclear matter with the Gogny effective interaction, we add correlations corresponding to the formation of preformed pairs and scattering states above the superfluid critical temperature within the in-medium T-matrix approach, which is analogous to the Nozieres-Schmitt-Rink theory. We calculate the critical temperature for a BEC superfluid of deuterons, of a BCS superfluid of nucleons, and in the crossover between these limits. The effect of the correlations on thermodynamic properties (equation of state, energy, entropy) and the liquid-gasmore » phase transition is discussed. Our results show that nucleon-nucleon correlations beyond BCS play an important role for the properties of nuclear matter, especially in the low-density region.« less

On the validity of within-nuclear-family genetic association analysis in samples of extended families.

PubMed

Bureau, Alexandre; Duchesne, Thierry

2015-12-01

Splitting extended families into their component nuclear families to apply a genetic association method designed for nuclear families is a widespread practice in familial genetic studies. Dependence among genotypes and phenotypes of nuclear families from the same extended family arises because of genetic linkage of the tested marker with a risk variant or because of familial specificity of genetic effects due to gene-environment interaction. This raises concerns about the validity of inference conducted under the assumption of independence of the nuclear families. We indeed prove theoretically that, in a conditional logistic regression analysis applicable to disease cases and their genotyped parents, the naive model-based estimator of the variance of the coefficient estimates underestimates the true variance. However, simulations with realistic effect sizes of risk variants and variation of this effect from family to family reveal that the underestimation is negligible. The simulations also show the greater efficiency of the model-based variance estimator compared to a robust empirical estimator. Our recommendation is therefore, to use the model-based estimator of variance for inference on effects of genetic variants.

Effects of a didactic and guided-imagery intervention regarding horrendous death by nuclear war upon fear of death, health locus of control, and social responsibility in health education college students

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Campanelli, L.C.

1987-01-01

This investigation studied the effects of a videotaped lecture explaining horrendous death theory, with a guided imagery component describing horrendous death of a beloved other, upon action toward anti-nuclearism and three individual difference variables. The primary purpose of this study was to determine the effects of a videotaped lecture on college students' fear of death, health locus of control, and social responsibility. A second purpose was to determine whether participants who viewed the videotape were likely to sign a petition against nuclear war, in support of the Physicians for Social Responsibility's position against nuclearism. One hundred fifty-two (152) college studentsmore » participated in this study; approximately 55% were female and 50% were seniors. No significant differences were found regarding individual difference variables, except concerning fear of death of self between death education and non-death education experimental groups. Although an interaction effect was found, the hypothesis that experimental groups would be more likely to sign the petition against nuclear was not confirmed.« less

Inhibitory effect of hydroxypropyl methylcellulose acetate succinate on drug recrystallization from a supersaturated solution assessed using nuclear magnetic resonance measurements.

PubMed

Ueda, Keisuke; Higashi, Kenjirou; Yamamoto, Keiji; Moribe, Kunikazu

2013-10-07

We examined the inhibitory effect of hydroxypropyl methylcellulose acetate succinate (HPMC-AS) on drug recrystallization from a supersaturated solution using carbamazepine (CBZ) and phenytoin (PHT) as model drugs. HPMC-AS HF grade (HF) inhibited the recrystallization of CBZ more strongly than that by HPMC-AS LF grade (LF). 1D-1H NMR measurements showed that the molecular mobility of CBZ was clearly suppressed in the HF solution compared to that in the LF solution. Interaction between CBZ and HF in a supersaturated solution was directly detected using nuclear Overhauser effect spectroscopy (NOESY). The cross-peak intensity obtained using NOESY of HF protons with CBZ aromatic protons was greater than that with the amide proton, which indicated that CBZ had hydrophobic interactions with HF in a supersaturated solution. In contrast, no interaction was observed between CBZ and LF in the LF solution. Saturation transfer difference NMR measurement was used to determine the interaction sites between CBZ and HF. Strong interaction with CBZ was observed with the acetyl substituent of HPMC-AS although the interaction with the succinoyl substituent was quite small. The acetyl groups played an important role in the hydrophobic interaction between HF and CBZ. In addition, HF appeared to be more hydrophobic than LF because of the smaller ratio of the succinoyl substituent. This might be responsible for the strong hydrophobic interaction between HF and CBZ. The intermolecular interactions between CBZ and HPMC-AS shown by using NMR spectroscopy clearly explained the strength of inhibition of HPMC-AS on drug recrystallization.

Crowding Effects on the Formation and Maintenance of Nuclear Bodies: Insights from Molecular-Dynamics Simulations of Simple Spherical Model Particles

PubMed Central

Cho, Eun Jin; Kim, Jun Soo

2012-01-01

The physics of structure formation and maintenance of nuclear bodies (NBs), such as nucleoli, Cajal bodies, promyelocytic leukemia bodies, and speckles, in a crowded nuclear environment remains largely unknown. We investigate the role of macromolecular crowding in the formation and maintenance of NBs using computer simulations of a simple spherical model, called Lennard-Jones (LJ) particles. LJ particles form a one-phase, dilute fluid when the intermolecular interaction is weaker than a critical value, above which they phase separate and form a condensed domain. We find that when volume-exclusive crowders exist in significant concentrations, domain formation is induced even for weaker intermolecular interactions, and the effect is more pronounced with increasing crowder concentration. Simulation results show that a previous experimental finding that promyelocytic leukemia bodies disappear in the less-crowded condition and reassemble in the normal crowded condition can be interpreted as a consequence of the increased intermolecular interactions between NB proteins due to crowding. Based on further analysis of the simulation results, we discuss the acceleration of macromolecular associations that occur within NBs, and the delay of diffusive transport of macromolecules within and out of NBs when the crowder concentration increases. This study suggests that in a polydisperse nuclear environment that is enriched with a variety of macromolecules, macromolecular crowding not only plays an important role in the formation and maintenance of NBs, but also may perform some regulatory functions in response to alterations in the crowding conditions. PMID:22947858

Embedded random matrix ensembles from nuclear structure and their recent applications

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Kota, V. K. B.; Chavda, N. D.

Embedded random matrix ensembles generated by random interactions (of low body rank and usually two-body) in the presence of a one-body mean field, introduced in nuclear structure physics, are now established to be indispensable in describing statistical properties of a large number of isolated finite quantum many-particle systems. Lie algebra symmetries of the interactions, as identified from nuclear shell model and the interacting boson model, led to the introduction of a variety of embedded ensembles (EEs). These ensembles with a mean field and chaos generating two-body interaction generate in three different stages, delocalization of wave functions in the Fock space of the mean-field basis states. The last stage corresponds to what one may call thermalization and complex nuclei, as seen from many shell model calculations, lie in this region. Besides briefly describing them, their recent applications to nuclear structure are presented and they are (i) nuclear level densities with interactions; (ii) orbit occupancies; (iii) neutrinoless double beta decay nuclear transition matrix elements as transition strengths. In addition, their applications are also presented briefly that go beyond nuclear structure and they are (i) fidelity, decoherence, entanglement and thermalization in isolated finite quantum systems with interactions; (ii) quantum transport in disordered networks connected by many-body interactions with centrosymmetry; (iii) semicircle to Gaussian transition in eigenvalue densities with k-body random interactions and its relation to the Sachdev-Ye-Kitaev (SYK) model for majorana fermions.

The Mitonuclear Dimension of Neanderthal and Denisovan Ancestry in Modern Human Genomes

PubMed Central

Sharbrough, Joel; Havird, Justin C.; Noe, Gregory R.; Warren, Jessica M.

2017-01-01

Abstract Some human populations interbred with Neanderthals and Denisovans, resulting in substantial contributions to modern-human genomes. Therefore, it is now possible to use genomic data to investigate mechanisms that shaped historical gene flow between humans and our closest hominin relatives. More generally, in eukaryotes, mitonuclear interactions have been argued to play a disproportionate role in generating reproductive isolation. There is no evidence of mtDNA introgression into modern human populations, which means that all introgressed nuclear alleles from archaic hominins must function on a modern-human mitochondrial background. Therefore, mitonuclear interactions are also potentially relevant to hominin evolution. We performed a detailed accounting of mtDNA divergence among hominin lineages and used population-genomic data to test the hypothesis that mitonuclear incompatibilities have preferentially restricted the introgression of nuclear genes with mitochondrial functions. We found a small but significant underrepresentation of introgressed Neanderthal alleles at such nuclear loci. Structural analyses of mitochondrial enzyme complexes revealed that these effects are unlikely to be mediated by physically interacting sites in mitochondrial and nuclear gene products. We did not detect any underrepresentation of introgressed Denisovan alleles at mitochondrial-targeted loci, but this may reflect reduced power because locus-specific estimates of Denisovan introgression are more conservative. Overall, we conclude that genes involved in mitochondrial function may have been subject to distinct selection pressures during the history of introgression from archaic hominins but that mitonuclear incompatibilities have had, at most, a small role in shaping genome-wide introgression patterns, perhaps because of limited functional divergence in mtDNA and interacting nuclear genes. PMID:28854627

Auxiliary-field quantum Monte Carlo simulations of neutron matter in chiral effective field theory.

PubMed

Wlazłowski, G; Holt, J W; Moroz, S; Bulgac, A; Roche, K J

2014-10-31

We present variational Monte Carlo calculations of the neutron matter equation of state using chiral nuclear forces. The ground-state wave function of neutron matter, containing nonperturbative many-body correlations, is obtained from auxiliary-field quantum Monte Carlo simulations of up to about 340 neutrons interacting on a 10(3) discretized lattice. The evolution Hamiltonian is chosen to be attractive and spin independent in order to avoid the fermion sign problem and is constructed to best reproduce broad features of the chiral nuclear force. This is facilitated by choosing a lattice spacing of 1.5 fm, corresponding to a momentum-space cutoff of Λ=414  MeV/c, a resolution scale at which strongly repulsive features of nuclear two-body forces are suppressed. Differences between the evolution potential and the full chiral nuclear interaction (Entem and Machleidt Λ=414  MeV [L. Coraggio et al., Phys. Rev. C 87, 014322 (2013).

Scalar, Axial, and Tensor Interactions of Light Nuclei from Lattice QCD

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Chang, Emmanuel; Davoudi, Zohreh; Detmold, William; Gambhir, Arjun S.; Orginos, Kostas; Savage, Martin J.; Shanahan, Phiala E.; Wagman, Michael L.; Winter, Frank; Nplqcd Collaboration

2018-04-01

Complete flavor decompositions of the matrix elements of the scalar, axial, and tensor currents in the proton, deuteron, diproton, and 3He at SU(3)-symmetric values of the quark masses corresponding to a pion mass mπ˜806 MeV are determined using lattice quantum chromodynamics. At the physical quark masses, the scalar interactions constrain mean-field models of nuclei and the low-energy interactions of nuclei with potential dark matter candidates. The axial and tensor interactions of nuclei constrain their spin content, integrated transversity, and the quark contributions to their electric dipole moments. External fields are used to directly access the quark-line connected matrix elements of quark bilinear operators, and a combination of stochastic estimation techniques is used to determine the disconnected sea-quark contributions. The calculated matrix elements differ from, and are typically smaller than, naive single-nucleon estimates. Given the particularly large, O (10 %), size of nuclear effects in the scalar matrix elements, contributions from correlated multinucleon effects should be quantified in the analysis of dark matter direct-detection experiments using nuclear targets.

Scalar, Axial, and Tensor Interactions of Light Nuclei from Lattice QCD

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Chang, Emmanuel; Davoudi, Zohreh; Detmold, William

Complete flavor decompositions of the matrix elements of the scalar, axial, and tensor currents in the proton, deuteron, diproton, and 3He at SU(3)-symmetric values of the quark masses corresponding to a pion mass m π~806 MeV are determined using lattice quantum chromodynamics. At the physical quark masses, the scalar interactions constrain mean-field models of nuclei and the low-energy interactions of nuclei with potential dark matter candidates. The axial and tensor interactions of nuclei constrain their spin content, integrated transversity, and the quark contributions to their electric dipole moments. External fields are used to directly access the quark-line connected matrix elementsmore » of quark bilinear operators, and a combination of stochastic estimation techniques is used to determine the disconnected sea-quark contributions. The calculated matrix elements differ from, and are typically smaller than, naive single-nucleon estimates. Given the particularly large, O(10%), size of nuclear effects in the scalar matrix elements, contributions from correlated multinucleon effects should be quantified in the analysis of dark matter direct-detection experiments using nuclear targets.« less

Structural and functional evidences for the interactions between nuclear hormone receptors and endocrine disruptors at low doses.

PubMed

Balaguer, Patrick; Delfosse, Vanessa; Grimaldi, Marina; Bourguet, William

Endocrine-disrupting chemicals (EDCs) represent a broad class of exogenous substances that cause adverse effects in the endocrine system mainly by interacting with nuclear hormone receptors (NRs). Humans are generally exposed to low doses of pollutants, and current researches aim at deciphering the mechanisms accounting for the health impact of EDCs at environmental concentrations. Our correlative analysis of structural, interaction and cell-based data has revealed a variety of, sometimes unexpected, binding modes, reflecting a wide range of EDC affinities and specificities. Here, we present a few representative examples to illustrate various means by which EDCs achieve high-affinity binding to NRs. These examples include the binding of the mycoestrogen α-zearalanol to estrogen receptors, the covalent interaction of organotins with the retinoid X- and peroxisome proliferator-activated receptors, and the cooperative binding of two chemicals to the pregnane X receptor. We also discuss some hypotheses that could further explain low-concentration effects of EDCs with weaker affinity towards NRs. Copyright © 2017. Published by Elsevier Masson SAS.

Scalar, Axial, and Tensor Interactions of Light Nuclei from Lattice QCD

DOE PAGES

Chang, Emmanuel; Davoudi, Zohreh; Detmold, William; ...

2018-04-13

Complete flavor decompositions of the matrix elements of the scalar, axial, and tensor currents in the proton, deuteron, diproton, and 3He at SU(3)-symmetric values of the quark masses corresponding to a pion mass m π~806 MeV are determined using lattice quantum chromodynamics. At the physical quark masses, the scalar interactions constrain mean-field models of nuclei and the low-energy interactions of nuclei with potential dark matter candidates. The axial and tensor interactions of nuclei constrain their spin content, integrated transversity, and the quark contributions to their electric dipole moments. External fields are used to directly access the quark-line connected matrix elementsmore » of quark bilinear operators, and a combination of stochastic estimation techniques is used to determine the disconnected sea-quark contributions. The calculated matrix elements differ from, and are typically smaller than, naive single-nucleon estimates. Given the particularly large, O(10%), size of nuclear effects in the scalar matrix elements, contributions from correlated multinucleon effects should be quantified in the analysis of dark matter direct-detection experiments using nuclear targets.« less

Scalar, Axial, and Tensor Interactions of Light Nuclei from Lattice QCD.

PubMed

Chang, Emmanuel; Davoudi, Zohreh; Detmold, William; Gambhir, Arjun S; Orginos, Kostas; Savage, Martin J; Shanahan, Phiala E; Wagman, Michael L; Winter, Frank

2018-04-13

Complete flavor decompositions of the matrix elements of the scalar, axial, and tensor currents in the proton, deuteron, diproton, and ^{3}He at SU(3)-symmetric values of the quark masses corresponding to a pion mass m_{π}∼806  MeV are determined using lattice quantum chromodynamics. At the physical quark masses, the scalar interactions constrain mean-field models of nuclei and the low-energy interactions of nuclei with potential dark matter candidates. The axial and tensor interactions of nuclei constrain their spin content, integrated transversity, and the quark contributions to their electric dipole moments. External fields are used to directly access the quark-line connected matrix elements of quark bilinear operators, and a combination of stochastic estimation techniques is used to determine the disconnected sea-quark contributions. The calculated matrix elements differ from, and are typically smaller than, naive single-nucleon estimates. Given the particularly large, O(10%), size of nuclear effects in the scalar matrix elements, contributions from correlated multinucleon effects should be quantified in the analysis of dark matter direct-detection experiments using nuclear targets.

Body Mass Index Influences the Prognostic Impact of Combined Nuclear Insulin Receptor and Estrogen Receptor Expression in Primary Breast Cancer.

PubMed

Björner, Sofie; Rosendahl, Ann H; Simonsson, Maria; Markkula, Andrea; Jirström, Karin; Borgquist, Signe; Rose, Carsten; Ingvar, Christian; Jernström, Helena

2017-01-01

The prognostic importance of tumor-specific nuclear insulin receptor (InsR) expression in breast cancer is unclear, while membrane and cytoplasmic localization of InsR is better characterized. The insulin signaling network is influenced by obesity and may interact with the estrogen receptor α (ERα) signaling. The purpose was to investigate the interplay between nuclear InsR, ER, body mass index (BMI), and prognosis. Tumor-specific expression of nuclear InsR was evaluated by immunohistochemistry in tissue microarrays from 900 patients with primary invasive breast cancer without preoperative treatment, included in a population-based cohort in Sweden (2002-2012) in relation to prognosis. Patients were followed for up to 11 years during which 107 recurrences were observed. Nuclear InsR + expression was present in 214 patients (23.8%) and increased with longer time between surgery and staining ( P  < 0.001). There were significant effect modifications by ER status and BMI in relation to clinical outcomes. Nuclear InsR + conferred higher recurrence-risk in patients with ER + tumors, but lower risk in patients with ER - tumors ( P interaction  = 0.003). Normal-weight patients with nuclear InsR + tumors had higher recurrence-risk, while overweight or obese patients had half the recurrence-risk compared to patients with nuclear InsR - tumors ( P interaction  = 0.007). Normal-weight patients with a nuclear InsR - /ER + tumor had the lowest risk for recurrence compared to all other nuclear InsR/ER combinations [HR adj 0.50, 95% confidence interval (CI): 0.25-0.97], while overweight or obese patients with nuclear InsR - /ER - tumors had the worst prognosis (HR adj 7.75, 95% CI: 2.04-29.48). Nuclear InsR was more prognostic than ER among chemotherapy-treated patients. In summary, nuclear InsR may have prognostic impact among normal-weight patients with ER + tumors and in overweight or obese patients with ER - tumors. Normal-weight patients with nuclear InsR - /ER + tumors may benefit from less treatment than normal-weight patients with other nuclear InsR/ER combinations. Overweight or obese patients with nuclear InsR - /ER - tumors may benefit from more tailored treatment or weight management.

NEW EQUATIONS OF STATE IN SIMULATIONS OF CORE-COLLAPSE SUPERNOVAE

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Hempel, M.; Liebendoerfer, M.; Fischer, T.

2012-03-20

We discuss three new equations of state (EOS) in core-collapse supernova simulations. The new EOS are based on the nuclear statistical equilibrium model of Hempel and Schaffner-Bielich (HS), which includes excluded volume effects and relativistic mean-field (RMF) interactions. We consider the RMF parameterizations TM1, TMA, and FSUgold. These EOS are implemented into our spherically symmetric core-collapse supernova model, which is based on general relativistic radiation hydrodynamics and three-flavor Boltzmann neutrino transport. The results obtained for the new EOS are compared with the widely used EOS of H. Shen et al. and Lattimer and Swesty. The systematic comparison shows that themore » model description of inhomogeneous nuclear matter is as important as the parameterization of the nuclear interactions for the supernova dynamics and the neutrino signal. Furthermore, several new aspects of nuclear physics are investigated: the HS EOS contains distributions of nuclei, including nuclear shell effects. The appearance of light nuclei, e.g., deuterium and tritium, is also explored, which can become as abundant as alphas and free protons. In addition, we investigate the black hole formation in failed core-collapse supernovae, which is mainly determined by the high-density EOS. We find that temperature effects lead to a systematically faster collapse for the non-relativistic LS EOS in comparison with the RMF EOS. We deduce a new correlation for the time until black hole formation, which allows the determination of the maximum mass of proto-neutron stars, if the neutrino signal from such a failed supernova would be measured in the future. This would give a constraint for the nuclear EOS at finite entropy, complementary to observations of cold neutron stars.« less

Nuclear magnetic resonance and restrained molecular dynamics studies of the interaction of an epidermal growth factor-derived peptide with protein tyrosine phosphatase 1B.

PubMed

Glover, N R; Tracey, A S

1999-04-20

The epidermal growth factor-derived (EGFR988) fluorophosphonate peptide, DADE(F2Pmp)L, is a potent (30 pM) inhibitor of the protein tyrosine phosphatase PTP1B. Nuclear magnetic resonance (NMR) transferred nuclear Overhauser effect (nOe) experiments have been used to determine the conformation of DADE(F2Pmp)L while bound in the active site of PTP1B. When bound, the peptide adopts an extended beta-strand conformation. Molecular modeling and molecular dynamics simulations allowed the elucidation of the sources of many of the interactions leading to binding of this inhibitor. Electrostatic, hydrophobic, and hydrogen-bonding interactions were all found to contribute significantly to its binding. However, despite the overall tight binding of this inhibitor, the N-terminal and adjacent residue of the peptide were virtually unrestrained in their motion. The major contributions to binding arose from hydrophobic interactions at the leucine and at the aromatic center, hydrogen bonding to the pro-R fluorine of the fluorophosphonomethyl group, and electrostatic interactions involving the carboxylate functionalities of the aspartate and glutamate residues. These latter two residues were found to form tight contacts with surface recognition elements (arginine and lysine) situated near the active-site cleft.

Mitonuclear interactions, mtDNA-mediated thermal plasticity, and implications for the Trojan Female Technique for pest control

PubMed Central

Wolff, Jonci N.; Tompkins, Daniel M.; Gemmell, Neil J.; Dowling, Damian K.

2016-01-01

Pest species pose major challenges to global economies, ecosystems, and health. Unfortunately, most conventional approaches to pest control remain costly, and temporary in effect. As such, a heritable variant of the Sterile Insect Technique (SIT) was proposed, based on the introduction of mitochondrial DNA mutations into pest populations, which impair male fertility but have no effects on females. Evidence for this “Trojan Female Technique” (TFT) was recently provided, in the form of a mutation in the mitochondrial cytochrome b gene (mt:Cyt-b) of Drosophila melanogaster which reduces male fertility across diverse nuclear backgrounds. However, recent studies have shown that the magnitude of mitochondrial genetic effects on the phenotype can vary greatly across environments, with mtDNA polymorphisms commonly entwined in genotype-by-environment (G × E) interactions. Here we test whether the male-sterilizing effects previously associated with the mt:Cyt-b mutation are consistent across three thermal and three nuclear genomic contexts. The effects of this mutation were indeed moderated by the nuclear background and thermal environment, but crucially the fertility of males carrying the mutation was invariably reduced relative to controls. This mutation thus constitutes a promising candidate for the further development of the TFT. PMID:27443488

Mitonuclear interactions, mtDNA-mediated thermal plasticity, and implications for the Trojan Female Technique for pest control.

PubMed

Wolff, Jonci N; Tompkins, Daniel M; Gemmell, Neil J; Dowling, Damian K

2016-07-21

Pest species pose major challenges to global economies, ecosystems, and health. Unfortunately, most conventional approaches to pest control remain costly, and temporary in effect. As such, a heritable variant of the Sterile Insect Technique (SIT) was proposed, based on the introduction of mitochondrial DNA mutations into pest populations, which impair male fertility but have no effects on females. Evidence for this "Trojan Female Technique" (TFT) was recently provided, in the form of a mutation in the mitochondrial cytochrome b gene (mt:Cyt-b) of Drosophila melanogaster which reduces male fertility across diverse nuclear backgrounds. However, recent studies have shown that the magnitude of mitochondrial genetic effects on the phenotype can vary greatly across environments, with mtDNA polymorphisms commonly entwined in genotype-by-environment (G × E) interactions. Here we test whether the male-sterilizing effects previously associated with the mt:Cyt-b mutation are consistent across three thermal and three nuclear genomic contexts. The effects of this mutation were indeed moderated by the nuclear background and thermal environment, but crucially the fertility of males carrying the mutation was invariably reduced relative to controls. This mutation thus constitutes a promising candidate for the further development of the TFT.

Cloning retinoid and peroxisome proliferator-activated nuclear receptors of the Pacific oyster and in silico binding to environmental chemicals

PubMed Central

Vogeler, Susanne; Galloway, Tamara S.; Isupov, Michail

2017-01-01

Disruption of nuclear receptors, a transcription factor superfamily regulating gene expression in animals, is one proposed mechanism through which pollution causes effects in aquatic invertebrates. Environmental pollutants have the ability to interfere with the receptor’s functions through direct binding and inducing incorrect signals. Limited knowledge of invertebrate endocrinology and molecular regulatory mechanisms, however, impede the understanding of endocrine disruptive effects in many aquatic invertebrate species. Here, we isolated three nuclear receptors of the Pacific oyster, Crassostrea gigas: two isoforms of the retinoid X receptor, CgRXR-1 and CgRXR-2, a retinoic acid receptor ortholog CgRAR, and a peroxisome proliferator-activated receptor ortholog CgPPAR. Computer modelling of the receptors based on 3D crystal structures of human proteins was used to predict each receptor’s ability to bind to different ligands in silico. CgRXR showed high potential to bind and be activated by 9-cis retinoic acid and the organotin tributyltin (TBT). Computer modelling of CgRAR revealed six residues in the ligand binding domain, which prevent the successful interaction with natural and synthetic retinoid ligands. This supports an existing theory of loss of retinoid binding in molluscan RARs. Modelling of CgPPAR was less reliable due to high discrepancies in sequence to its human ortholog. Yet, there are suggestions of binding to TBT, but not to rosiglitazone. The effect of potential receptor ligands on early oyster development was assessed after 24h of chemical exposure. TBT oxide (0.2μg/l), all-trans retinoic acid (ATRA) (0.06 mg/L) and perfluorooctanoic acid (20 mg/L) showed high effects on development (>74% abnormal developed D-shelled larvae), while rosiglitazone (40 mg/L) showed no effect. The results are discussed in relation to a putative direct (TBT) disruption effect on nuclear receptors. The inability of direct binding of ATRA to CgRAR suggests either a disruptive effect through a pathway excluding nuclear receptors or an indirect interaction. Our findings provide valuable information on potential mechanisms of molluscan nuclear receptors and the effects of environmental pollution on aquatic invertebrates. PMID:28426724

Additive effects of electronic and nuclear energy losses in irradiation-induced amorphization of zircon

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Zarkadoula, Eva; Toulemonde, Marcel; Weber, William J.

2015-12-28

We used a combination of ion cascades and the unified thermal spike model to study the electronic effects from 800 keV Kr and Xe ion irradiation in zircon. We compared the damage production for four cases: (a) due to ion cascades alone, (b) due to ion cascades with the electronic energy loss activated as a friction term, (c) due to the thermal spike from the combined electronic and nuclear energy losses, and (d) due to ion cascades with electronic stopping and the electron-phonon interactions superimposed. We found that taking the electronic energy loss out as a friction term results in reducedmore » damage, while the electronic electron-phonon interactions have additive impact on the final damage created per ion.« less

Additive effects of electronic and nuclear energy loss in irradiation-induced amorphization of zircon

DOE PAGES

Zarkadoula, Eva; Toulemonde, Marcel; Weber, William J.

2015-12-29

We used a combination of ion cascades and the unified thermal spike model to study the electronic effects from 800 keV Kr and Xe ion irradiation in zircon. We compared the damage production for four cases: (a) due to ion cascades alone, (b) due to ion cascades with the electronic energy loss activated as a friction term, (c) due to the thermal spike from the combined electronic and nuclear energy losses, and (d) due to ion cascades with electronic stopping and the electron-phonon interactions superimposed. As a result, we found that taking the electronic energy loss out as a frictionmore » term results in reduced damage, while the electronic electron-phonon interactions have additive impact on the final damage created per ion.« less

Communication: Quantum molecular dynamics simulation of liquid para-hydrogen by nuclear and electron wave packet approach.

PubMed

Hyeon-Deuk, Kim; Ando, Koji

2014-05-07

Liquid para-hydrogen (p-H2) is a typical quantum liquid which exhibits strong nuclear quantum effects (NQEs) and thus anomalous static and dynamic properties. We propose a real-time simulation method of wave packet (WP) molecular dynamics (MD) based on non-empirical intra- and inter-molecular interactions of non-spherical hydrogen molecules, and apply it to condensed-phase p-H2. The NQEs, such as WP delocalization and zero-point energy, are taken into account without perturbative expansion of prepared model potential functions but with explicit interactions between nuclear and electron WPs. The developed MD simulation for 100 ps with 1200 hydrogen molecules is realized at feasible computational cost, by which basic experimental properties of p-H2 liquid such as radial distribution functions, self-diffusion coefficients, and shear viscosities are all well reproduced.

Nuclear Function of Smad7 Promotes Myogenesis▿

PubMed Central

Miyake, Tetsuaki; Alli, Nezeka S.; McDermott, John C.

2010-01-01

In the “canonical” view of transforming growth factor β (TGF-β) signaling, Smad7 plays an inhibitory role. While Smad7 represses Smad3 activation by TGF-β, it does not reverse the inhibitory effect of TGF-β on myogenesis, suggesting a different function in myogenic cells. We previously reported a promyogenic role of Smad7 mediated by an interaction with MyoD. Based on this association, we hypothesized a possible nuclear function of Smad7 independent of its role at the level of the receptor. We therefore engineered a chimera of Smad7 with a nuclear localization signal (NLS), which serves to prevent and therefore bypass binding to the TGF-β receptor while concomitantly constitutively localizing Smad7 to the nucleus. This Smad7-NLS did not repress Smad3 activation by TGF-β but did retain its ability to enhance myogenic gene activation and phenotypic myogenesis, indicating that the nuclear, receptor-independent function of Smad7 is sufficient to promote myogenesis. Furthermore, Smad7 physically interacts with MyoD and antagonizes the repressive effects of active MEK on MyoD. Reporter and myogenic conversion assays indicate a pivotal regulation of MyoD transcriptional properties by the balance between Smad7 and active MEK. Thus, Smad7 has a nuclear coactivator function that is independent of TGF-β signaling and necessary to promote myogenic differentiation. PMID:19995910

Mito-Nuclear Interactions Affecting Lifespan and Neurodegeneration in a Drosophila Model of Leigh Syndrome.

PubMed

Loewen, Carin A; Ganetzky, Barry

2018-04-01

Proper mitochondrial activity depends upon proteins encoded by genes in the nuclear and mitochondrial genomes that must interact functionally and physically in a precisely coordinated manner. Consequently, mito-nuclear allelic interactions are thought to be of crucial importance on an evolutionary scale, as well as for manifestation of essential biological phenotypes, including those directly relevant to human disease. Nonetheless, detailed molecular understanding of mito-nuclear interactions is still lacking, and definitive examples of such interactions in vivo are sparse. Here we describe the characterization of a mutation in Drosophila ND23 , a nuclear gene encoding a highly conserved subunit of mitochondrial complex 1. This characterization led to the discovery of a mito-nuclear interaction that affects the ND23 mutant phenotype. ND23 mutants exhibit reduced lifespan, neurodegeneration, abnormal mitochondrial morphology, and decreased ATP levels. These phenotypes are similar to those observed in patients with Leigh syndrome, which is caused by mutations in a number of nuclear genes that encode mitochondrial proteins, including the human ortholog of ND23 A key feature of Leigh syndrome, and other mitochondrial disorders, is unexpected and unexplained phenotypic variability. We discovered that the phenotypic severity of ND23 mutations varies depending on the maternally inherited mitochondrial background. Sequence analysis of the relevant mitochondrial genomes identified several variants that are likely candidates for the phenotypic interaction with mutant ND23 , including a variant affecting a mitochondrially encoded component of complex I. Thus, our work provides an in vivo demonstration of the phenotypic importance of mito-nuclear interactions in the context of mitochondrial disease. Copyright © 2018 by the Genetics Society of America.

The role of competitive binding to human serum albumin on efavirenz-warfarin interaction: a nuclear magnetic resonance study.

PubMed

Wanke, Riccardo; Harjivan, Shrika G; Pereira, Sofia A; Marques, M Matilde; Antunes, Alexandra M M

2013-11-01

The potential for co-prescription of the anti-human immunodeficiency virus (anti-HIV) drug efavirenz (EFV) and the oral anticoagulant warfarin (WAR) is currently high as EFV is a drug of choice for HIV type 1 infection and because cardiovascular disease is increasing among HIV-infected individuals. However, clinical reports of EFV-WAR interaction, leading to WAR overdosing, call for elucidation of the mechanisms involved in this drug-drug interaction. Here we present the first report demonstrating competition of the two drugs for the same binding site of human serum albumin. Using ligand-based nuclear magnetic resonance experiments, this study proves that EFV has an effect on the concentration of free WAR. This previously unidentified EFV-WAR interaction represents a potential risk factor that should be taken into account when considering treatment options. Copyright © 2013 Elsevier B.V. and the International Society of Chemotherapy. All rights reserved.

Electromagnetic radiation as a probe of the initial state and of viscous dynamics in relativistic nuclear collisions

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Vujanovic, Gojko; Paquet, Jean-François; Denicol, Gabriel S.; Luzum, Matthew; Jeon, Sangyong; Gale, Charles

2016-07-01

The penetrating nature of electromagnetic signals makes them suitable probes to explore the properties of the strongly interacting medium created in relativistic nuclear collisions. We examine the effects of the initial conditions and shear relaxation time on the spectra and flow coefficients of electromagnetic probes, using an event-by-event 3+1-dimensional viscous hydrodynamic simulation (music).

Radiation doses and neutron irridation effects on human cells based on calculations

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Radojevic, B. B.; Cukavac, M.; Jovanovic, D.

In general, main aim of our paper is to follow influence of neutron's radiation on materials, but one of possible applications of fast neutrons in therapeutical reasons i.e. their influence on carcinom cells of difficuilt geometries in human bodies too. Interactions between neutrons and human cells of tissue are analysed here. We know that the light nuclei of hydrogen, nitrogen, carbon, and oxygen are main constituents of human cells, and that different nuclear models are usually used to present interactions of nuclear particles with mentioned elements. Some of most widely used pre-equilibrium nuclear models are: intranuclear cascade model (ICN), Harp-Miller-Berne (HMB), geometry-dependent hybrid (GDH) and exciton models (EM). In this paper is studied and calculated the primary energetic spectra of the secundary particles (neutrons, protons, and gamas) emitted from this interactions, and followed by corresponding integral cross sections, based on exciton model (EM). The total emission cross-section is the sum of emissions in all stages of energies. Obtained spectra for interactions type of (n, n'), (n, p), and (n, ?), for various incident neutron energies in the interval from 3 MeV up to 30 MeV are analysed too. Some results of calculations are presented here.

Electron-deuteron deep-inelastic scattering with spectator nucleon tagging and final-state interactions at intermediate x

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Strikman, Mark; Weiss, Christian

We consider electron-deuteron deep-inelastic scattering (DIS) with detection of a proton in the nuclear fragmentation region ("spectator tagging") as a method for extracting the free neutron structure functions and studying their nuclear modifications. Such measurements could be performed at a future Electron-Ion Collider (EIC) with suitable forward detectors. The measured proton recoil momentum (≲ 100 MeV in the deuteron rest frame) specifies the deuteron configuration during the high-energy process and permits a controlled theoretical treatment of nuclear effects. Nuclear and nucleonic structure are separated using methods of light-front quantum mechanics. The impulse approximation (IA) to the tagged DIS cross sectionmore » contains the free neutron pole, which can be reached by on-shell extrapolation in the recoil momentum. Final-state interactions (FSI) distort the recoil momentum distribution away from the pole. In the intermediate-x region 0.1 < x < 0.5 FSI arise predominantly from interactions of the spectator proton with slow hadrons produced in the DIS process on the neutron (rest frame momenta ≲1 GeV, target fragmentation region). We construct a schematic model describing this effect, using final-state hadron distributions measured in nucleon DIS experiments and low-energy hadron scattering amplitudes. We investigate the magnitude of FSI, their dependence on the recoil momentum (angular dependence, forward/backward regions), their analytic properties, and their effect on the on-shell extrapolation. We comment on the prospects for neutron structure extraction in tagged DIS with EIC. Finally, we discuss possible extensions of the FSI model to other kinematic regions (large/small x). In tagged DIS at x << 0.1 FSI resulting from diffractive scattering on the nucleons become important and require separate treatment.« less

Electron-deuteron deep-inelastic scattering with spectator nucleon tagging and final-state interactions at intermediate x

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Strikman, M.; Weiss, C.

2018-03-01

We consider electron-deuteron deep-inelastic scattering (DIS) with detection of a proton in the nuclear fragmentation region ("spectator tagging") as a method for extracting the free neutron structure functions and studying their nuclear modifications. Such measurements could be performed at a future electron-ion collider (EIC) with suitable forward detectors. The measured proton recoil momentum (≲100 MeV in the deuteron rest frame) specifies the deuteron configuration during the high-energy process and permits a controlled theoretical treatment of nuclear effects. Nuclear and nucleonic structure are separated using methods of light-front quantum mechanics. The impulse approximation to the tagged DIS cross section contains the free neutron pole, which can be reached by on-shell extrapolation in the recoil momentum. Final-state interactions (FSIs) distort the recoil momentum distribution away from the pole. In the intermediate-x region 0.1

Electron-deuteron deep-inelastic scattering with spectator nucleon tagging and final-state interactions at intermediate x

DOE PAGES

Strikman, Mark; Weiss, Christian

2018-03-27

We consider electron-deuteron deep-inelastic scattering (DIS) with detection of a proton in the nuclear fragmentation region ("spectator tagging") as a method for extracting the free neutron structure functions and studying their nuclear modifications. Such measurements could be performed at a future Electron-Ion Collider (EIC) with suitable forward detectors. The measured proton recoil momentum (≲ 100 MeV in the deuteron rest frame) specifies the deuteron configuration during the high-energy process and permits a controlled theoretical treatment of nuclear effects. Nuclear and nucleonic structure are separated using methods of light-front quantum mechanics. The impulse approximation (IA) to the tagged DIS cross sectionmore » contains the free neutron pole, which can be reached by on-shell extrapolation in the recoil momentum. Final-state interactions (FSI) distort the recoil momentum distribution away from the pole. In the intermediate-x region 0.1 < x < 0.5 FSI arise predominantly from interactions of the spectator proton with slow hadrons produced in the DIS process on the neutron (rest frame momenta ≲1 GeV, target fragmentation region). We construct a schematic model describing this effect, using final-state hadron distributions measured in nucleon DIS experiments and low-energy hadron scattering amplitudes. We investigate the magnitude of FSI, their dependence on the recoil momentum (angular dependence, forward/backward regions), their analytic properties, and their effect on the on-shell extrapolation. We comment on the prospects for neutron structure extraction in tagged DIS with EIC. Finally, we discuss possible extensions of the FSI model to other kinematic regions (large/small x). In tagged DIS at x << 0.1 FSI resulting from diffractive scattering on the nucleons become important and require separate treatment.« less

Effects of nuclear forces on ion thermalization in high-temperature plasmas

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Gould, R. J.

1982-01-01

A number of investigations have been concerned with the kinetic theory and processes associated with a relativistic electron gas. Gould (1981) has considered a condition in which upon the ultimate thermalization the temperature can be such that the electron gas is highly relativistic while the gas of protons and other ions is nonrelativistic. With the nuclear component nonrelativistic but having energies in the MeV range and above, it is necessary to consider the effects of nuclear forces in the scattering of the ions in their thermalization. The effects of nuclear forces in the thermalization of ions in plasmas have been computed, principally in connection with problems of controlle; fusion. The present investigation is concerned with an attempt to express results in analytic form to as great a degree as possible. The p-p problem, which is the fundamental problem in astrophysical plasma, is studied. Attention is given to a low-energy formulation, the s-wave phase shift, the effective stopping number, Fokker-Planck operators, and the interaction with the electron gas.

Azimuthal correlation and collective behavior in nucleus-nucleus collisions

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Mali, P.; Mukhopadhyay, A., E-mail: amitabha-62@rediffmail.com; Sarkar, S.

2015-03-15

Various flow effects of nuclear and hadronic origin are investigated in nucleus-nucleus collisions. Nuclear emulsion data collected from {sup 84}Kr + Ag/Br interaction at an incident energy of 1.52 GeV per nucleon and from {sup 28}Si + Ag/Br interaction at an incident energy of 14.5 GeV per nucleon are used in the investigation. The transverse momentum distribution and the flow angle analysis show that collective behavior, like a bounce-off effect of the projectile spectators and a sidesplash effect of the target spectators, are present in our event samples. From an azimuthal angle analysis of the data we also see amore » direct flow of the projectile fragments and of the produced charged particles. On the other hand, for both data samples the target fragments exhibit a reverse flow, while the projectile fragments exhibit an elliptic flow. Relevant flow parameters are measured.« less

Feasibility study of full-reactor gas core demonstration test

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Kunze, J. F.; Lofthouse, J. H.; Shaffer, C. J.; Macbeth, P. J.

1973-01-01

Separate studies of nuclear criticality, flow patterns, and thermodynamics for the gas core reactor concept have all given positive indications of its feasibility. However, before serious design for a full scale gas core application can be made, feasibility must be shown for operation with full interaction of the nuclear, thermal, and hydraulic effects. A minimum sized, and hence minimum expense, test arrangement is considered for a full gas core configuration. It is shown that the hydrogen coolant scattering effects dominate the nuclear considerations at elevated temperatures. A cavity diameter of somewhat larger than 4 ft (122 cm) will be needed if temperatures high enough to vaporize uranium are to be achieved.

Mapping of protein- and chromatin-interactions at the nuclear lamina.

PubMed

Kubben, Nard; Voncken, Jan Willem; Misteli, Tom

2010-01-01

The nuclear envelope and the lamina define the nuclear periphery and are implicated in many nuclear processes including chromatin organization, transcription and DNA replication. Mutations in lamin A proteins, major components of the lamina, interfere with these functions and cause a set of phenotypically diverse diseases referred to as laminopathies. The phenotypic diversity of laminopathies is thought to be the result of alterations in specific protein- and chromatin interactions due to lamin A mutations. Systematic identification of lamin A-protein and -chromatin interactions will be critical to uncover the molecular etiology of laminopathies. Here we summarize and critically discuss recent technology to analyze lamina-protein and-chromatin interactions.

Activity and subcellular compartmentalization of peroxisome proliferator-activated receptor alpha are altered by the centrosome-associated protein CAP350.

PubMed

Patel, Hansa; Truant, Ray; Rachubinski, Richard A; Capone, John P

2005-01-01

Peroxisome proliferator-activated nuclear hormone receptors (PPAR) are ligand-activated transcription factors that play pivotal roles in governing metabolic homeostasis and cell growth. PPARs are primarily in the nucleus but, under certain circumstances, can be found in the cytoplasm. We show here that PPAR(alpha) interacts with the centrosome-associated protein CAP350. CAP350 also interacts with PPAR(delta), PPAR(gamma) and liver-X-receptor alpha, but not with the 9-cis retinoic acid receptor, RXR(alpha). Immunofluorescence analysis indicated that PPAR(alpha) is diffusely distributed in the nucleus and excluded from the cytoplasm. However, in the presence of coexpressed CAP350, PPAR(alpha) colocalizes with CAP350 to discrete nuclear foci and to the centrosome, perinuclear region and intermediate filaments. In contrast, the subcellular distribution of RXR(alpha) or of thyroid hormone receptor alpha was not altered by coexpression of CAP350. An amino-terminal fragment of CAP350 was localized exclusively to nuclear foci and was sufficient to recruit PPAR(alpha) to these sites. Mutation of the single putative nuclear hormone receptor interacting signature motif LXXLL present in this fragment had no effect on its subnuclear localization but abrogated recruitment of PPAR(alpha) to nuclear foci. Surprisingly, mutation of the LXXLL motif in this CAP350 subfragment did not prevent its binding to PPAR(alpha) in vitro, suggesting that this motif serves some function other than PPAR(alpha) binding in recruiting PPAR(alpha) to nuclear spots. CAP350 inhibited PPAR(alpha)-mediated transactivation in an LXXLL-dependent manner, suggesting that CAP350 represses PPAR(alpha) function. Our findings implicate CAP350 in a dynamic process that recruits PPAR(alpha) to discrete nuclear and cytoplasmic compartments and suggest that altered intracellular compartmentalization represents a regulatory process that modulates PPAR function.

A New Era of Symmetries in the Hadronic Interaction

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Crawford, Christopher

2016-09-01

The search for a weak component of the nuclear force began in 1957, shortly after the proposal of parity violation. While it has been observed in compound nuclei with large nuclear enhancements, a systematic characterization of the hadronic weak interaction is still forthcoming almost sixty years later. New experimental facilities and technology have rejuvenated efforts to map out this ``complexity frontier'' within the Standard Model, and we will soon have precision data from multiple few-body experiments. In parallel, modern effective field theories have provided a systematic model independent description of the hadronic interaction with estimates of higher-order effects. The characterization of discrete symmetries in hadronic systems has recently become important for the design and analysis of other precision symmetries measurements, for example, electron PV scattering and time-reversal violation experiments. These new developments in experiment, theory, and application have ushered in a new era in hadronic parity violation. We acknowledge support from DOE-NP under Contract DE-SC0008107.

Investigation of heavy-ion fusion with deformed surface diffuseness: Actinide and lanthanide targets

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Alavi, S. A.; Dehghani, V.

2017-05-01

By using a deformed Broglia-Winther nuclear interaction potential in the framework of the WKB method, the near- and above-barrier heavy-ion-fusion cross sections of 16O with some lanthanides and actinides have been calculated. The effect of deformed surface diffuseness on the nuclear interaction potential, the effective interaction potential at distinct angle, barrier position, barrier height, cross section at each angles, and fusion cross sections of 16O+147Sm,150Nd,154Sm , and 166Er and 16O+232Th,238U,237Np , and 248Cm have been studied. The differences between the results obtained by using deformed surface diffuseness and those obtained by using constant surface diffuseness were noticeable. Good agreement between experimental data and theoretical calculation with deformed surface diffuseness were observed for 16O+147Sm,154Sm,166Er,238U,237Np , and 248Cm reactions. It has been observed that deformed surface diffuseness plays a significant role in heavy-ion-fusion studies.

Mean-field study of hot β -stable protoneutron star matter: Impact of the symmetry energy and nucleon effective mass

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Tan, Ngo Hai; Loan, Doan Thi; Khoa, Dao T.; Margueron, Jerome

2016-03-01

A consistent Hartree-Fock study of the equation of state (EOS) of asymmetric nuclear matter at finite temperature has been performed using realistic choices of the effective, density-dependent nucleon-nucleon (NN ) interaction, which were successfully used in different nuclear structure and reaction studies. Given the importance of the nuclear symmetry energy in the neutron star formation, EOSs associated with different behaviors of the symmetry energy were used to study hot asymmetric nuclear matter. The slope of the symmetry energy and nucleon effective mass with increasing baryon density was found to affect the thermal properties of nuclear matter significantly. Different density-dependent NN interactions were further used to study the EOS of hot protoneutron star (PNS) matter of the n p e μ ν composition in β equilibrium. The hydrostatic configurations of PNS in terms of the maximal gravitational mass Mmax and radius, central density, pressure, and temperature at the total entropy per baryon S /A =1 ,2 , and 4 have been determined in both the neutrino-free and neutrino-trapped scenarios. The obtained results show consistently a strong impact of the symmetry energy and nucleon effective mass on thermal properties and composition of hot PNS matter. Mmax values obtained for the (neutrino-free) β -stable PNS at S /A =4 were used to assess time tBH of the collapse of a 40 M⊙ protoneutron progenitor to a black hole, based on a correlation between tBH and Mmax found from the hydrodynamic simulation by Hempel et al. [Astrophys. J. 748, 70 (2012), 10.1088/0004-637X/748/1/70].

Measurement of interaction between antiprotons

DOE PAGES

Adamczyk, L.; Adkins, J. K.; Agakishiev, G.; ...

2015-11-04

In this paper, one of the primary goals of nuclear physics is to understand the force between nucleons, which is a necessary step for understanding the structure of nuclei and how nuclei interact with each other. Rutherford discovered the atomic nucleus in 1911, and the large body of knowledge about the nuclear force that has since been acquired was derived from studies made on nucleons or nuclei. Although antinuclei up to antihelium-4 have been discovered and their masses measured, little is known directly about the nuclear force between antinucleons. Here, we study antiproton pair correlations among data collected by themore » STAR experiment at the Relativistic Heavy Ion Collider (RHIC), where gold ions are collided with a centre-of-mass energy of 200 gigaelectronvolts per nucleon pair. Antiprotons are abundantly produced in such collisions, thus making it feasible to study details of the antiproton–antiproton interaction. By applying a technique similar to Hanbury Brown and Twiss intensity interferometry, we show that the force between two antiprotons is attractive. In addition, we report two key parameters that characterize the corresponding strong interaction: the scattering length and the effective range of the interaction. Our measured parameters are consistent within errors with the corresponding values for proton–proton interactions. Our results provide direct information on the interaction between two antiprotons, one of the simplest systems of antinucleons, and so are fundamental to understanding the structure of more-complex antinuclei and their properties.« less

Nuclear technologies for explosives detection

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Bell, Curtis J.

1992-12-01

This paper presents an exploration of several techniques for detection of Improvised Explosive Devices (IED) using interactions of specific nuclei with gammarays or fast neutrons. Techniques considered use these interactions to identify the device by measuring the densities and/or relative concentrations of the elemental constituents of explosives. These techniques are to be compared with selected other nuclear and non-nuclear methods. Combining of nuclear and non-nuclear techniques will also be briefly discussed.

Modelling nuclear effects in neutrino scattering

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Leitner, T.; Alvarez-Ruso, L.; Mosel, U.

2006-07-01

We have developed a model to describe the interactions of neutrinos with nucleons and nuclei via charged and neutral currents, focusing on the region of the quasielastic and Δ(1232) peaks. For νN collisions a fully relativistic formalism is used. The extension to finite nuclei has been done in the framework of a coupled-channel BUU transport model where we have studied exclusive channels taking into account in-medium effects and final state interactions.

Drosophila TIM binds importin α1, and acts as an adapter to transport PER to the nucleus.

PubMed

Jang, A Reum; Moravcevic, Katarina; Saez, Lino; Young, Michael W; Sehgal, Amita

2015-02-01

Regulated nuclear entry of clock proteins is a conserved feature of eukaryotic circadian clocks and serves to separate the phase of mRNA activation from mRNA repression in the molecular feedback loop. In Drosophila, nuclear entry of the clock proteins, PERIOD (PER) and TIMELESS (TIM), is tightly controlled, and impairments of this process produce profound behavioral phenotypes. We report here that nuclear entry of PER-TIM in clock cells, and consequently behavioral rhythms, require a specific member of a classic nuclear import pathway, Importin α1 (IMPα1). In addition to IMPα1, rhythmic behavior and nuclear expression of PER-TIM require a specific nuclear pore protein, Nup153, and Ran-GTPase. IMPα1 can also drive rapid and efficient nuclear expression of TIM and PER in cultured cells, although the effect on PER is mediated by TIM. Mapping of interaction domains between IMPα1 and TIM/PER suggests that TIM is the primary cargo for the importin machinery. This is supported by attenuated interaction of IMPα1 with TIM carrying a mutation previously shown to prevent nuclear entry of TIM and PER. TIM is detected at the nuclear envelope, and computational modeling suggests that it contains HEAT-ARM repeats typically found in karyopherins, consistent with its role as a co-transporter for PER. These findings suggest that although PER is the major timekeeper of the clock, TIM is the primary target of nuclear import mechanisms. Thus, the circadian clock uses specific components of the importin pathway with a novel twist in that TIM serves a karyopherin-like role for PER.

Importin α-importin β complex mediated nuclear translocation of insulin-like growth factor binding protein-5.

PubMed

Sun, Min; Long, Juan; Yi, Yuxin; Xia, Wei

2017-10-28

Insulin-like growth factor-binding protein (IGFBP)-5 is a secreted protein that binds to IGFs and modulates IGF actions, as well as regulates cell proliferation, migration, and apoptosis independent of IGF. Proper cellular localization is critical for the effective function of most signaling molecules. In previous studies, we have shown that the nuclear IGFBP-5 comes from ER-cytosol retro-translocation. In this study, we further investigated the pathway mediating IGFBP-5 nuclear import after it retro-translocation. Importin-α5 was identified as an IGFBP-5-interacting protein with a yeast two-hybrid system, and its interaction with IGFBP-5 was further confirmed by GST pull down and co-immunoprecipitation. Binding affinity of IGFBP-5 and importins were determined by surface plasmon resonance (IGFBP-5/importin-β: K D =2.44e-7, IGFBP-5/importin-α5: K D =3.4e-7). Blocking the importin-α5/importin-β nuclear import pathway using SiRNA or dominant negative impotin-β dramatically inhibited IGFBP-5-EGFP nuclear import, though importin-α5 overexpress does not affect IGFBP-5 nuclear import. Furthermore, nuclear IGFBP-5 was quantified using luciferase report assay. When deleted the IGFBP-5 nuclear localization sequence (NLS), IGFBP-5 ΔNLS loss the ability to translocate into the nucleus and accumulation of IGFBP-5 ΔNLS was visualized in the cytosol. Altogether, our findings provide a substantially evidence showed that the IGFBP-5 nuclear import is mediated by importin-α/importin-β complex, and NLS is critical domain in IGFBP-5 nuclear translocation.

In vitro toxicological effects of estrogenic mycotoxins on human placental cells: Structure activity relationships

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Prouillac, Caroline, E-mail: c.prouillac@vetagro-sup.fr; Koraichi, Farah; Videmann, Bernadette

2012-03-15

Zearalenone (ZEN) is a non-steroid estrogen mycotoxin produced by numerous strains of Fusarium which commonly contaminate cereals. After oral administration, ZEN is reduced via intestinal and hepatic metabolism to α- and β-zearalenol (αZEL and βZEL). These reduced metabolites possess estrogenic properties, αZEL showing the highest affinity for ERs. ZEN and reduced metabolites cause hormonal effects in animals, such as abnormalities in the development of the reproductive tract and mammary gland in female offspring, suggesting a fetal exposure to these contaminants. In our previous work, we have suggested the potential impact of ZEN on placental cells considering this organ as amore » potential target of xenobiotics. In this work, we first compared the in vitro effects of αZEL and βΖΕL on cell differentiation to their parental molecule on human trophoblast (BeWo cells). Secondly, we investigated their molecular mechanisms of action by investigating the expression of main differentiation biomarkers and the implication of nuclear receptor by docking prediction. Conversely to ZEN, reduced metabolites did not induce trophoblast differentiation. They also induced significant changes in ABC transporter expression by potential interaction with nuclear receptors (LXR, PXR, PR) that could modify the transport function of placental cells. Finally, the mechanism of ZEN differentiation induction seemed not to involve nuclear receptor commonly involved in the differentiation process (PPARγ). Our results demonstrated that in spite of structure similarities between ZEN, αZEL and βZEL, toxicological effects and toxicity mechanisms were significantly different for the three molecules. -- Highlights: ► ZEN and metabolites have differential effect on trophoblast differentiation. ► ZEN and metabolites have differential effect on ABC transporter expression. ► ZEN and metabolites effects involved nuclear receptors interaction.« less

The effect of S100A6 on nuclear translocation of CacyBP/SIP in colon cancer cells

PubMed Central

Yang, Bo; Li, Qianqian; Liu, Aiqin; Zhao, Yingying; Qiu, Changqing; Ge, Jun

2018-01-01

Background Calcyclin Binding Protein/(Siah-1 interacting protein) (CacyBP/SIP) acts as an oncogene in colorectal cancer. The nuclear accumulation of CacyBP/SIP has been linked to the proliferation of cancer cells. It has been reported that intracellular Ca2+ induces the nuclear translocation of CacyBP/SIP. However, the molecular mechanism of CacyBP/SIP nuclear translocation has yet to be elucidated. The purpose of this study was to test whether the Ca2+-dependent binding partner S100 protein is involved in CacyBP/SIP nuclear translocation in colon cancer SW480 cells. Methods The subcellular localization of endogenous CacyBP/SIP was observed following the stimulation of ionomycin or BAPTA/AM by immunofluorescence staining in SW480 cells. S100A6 small interfering RNAs (siRNA) were transfected into SW480 cells. Immunoprecipitation assays detected whether S100 protein is relevant to the nuclear translocation of CacyBP/SIP in response to changes in [Ca2+]i. Results We observed that endogenous CacyBP/SIP is translocated from the cytosol to the nucleus following the elevation of [Ca2+]i by ionomycin in SW480 cells. Co-immunoprecipitation experiments showed that the interaction between S100A6 and CacyBP/SIP was increased simultaneously with elevated Ca2+. Knockdown of S100A6 abolished the Ca2+ effect on the subcellular translocation of CacyBP/SIP. Conclusion Thus, we demonstrated that S100A6 is required for the Ca2+-dependent nuclear translocation of CacyBP/SIP in colon cancer SW480 cells. PMID:29534068

Lateral diffusion study of the Pt-Al system using the NAC nuclear microprobe.

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

de Waal, H.; Pretorius, R.

1999-10-01

In this study a nuclear microprobe (NMP) was used to analyse phase formation during reaction in Pt-Al lateral diffusion couples. Phase identification was done by Rutherford backscattering spectroscopy. These results were compared with phase formation during conventional thin film Pt-Al interactions. The co-existence of multiple phases in lateral diffusion couples is discussed with reference to the effective heat of formation (EHF) model.

Nuclear medium effects in muonic neutrino interactions with energies from 0.2 to 1.5 GeV

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Vargas, D.; Samana, A. R.; Velasco, F. G.; Hoyos, O. R.; Guzmán, F.; Bernal-Castillo, J. L.; Andrade-II, E.; Perez, R.; Deppman, A.; Barbero, C. A.; Mariano, A. E.

2017-11-01

Nuclear reactions induced by muon neutrinos with energies from 0.2 to 1.5 GeV in the Monte Carlo calculation framework in the intranuclear cascade model are studied. This study was done by comparing the available experimental data and theoretical values of total cross section, and the energy distribution of emitted lepton energy in the reaction muon neutrino nucleus, using the targets 12C, 16O, 27Al, 40Ar, 56Fe, and 208Pb. A phenomenological model of primary neutrino-nucleon interaction gives good agreement between our theoretical inclusive neutrino nucleus cross section and the available experimental data. Some interesting results on the behavior of the cross section as function of 1 p -1 n and higher contributions are also sketched. The previous results on the fraction of fake events in available experiments in 12C were expanded for the set of studied nuclei. With the increase of mass targets, the nuclear effects in the cross sections were observed and the importance of taking into account fake events in the reactions was noted.

Can visco-elastic phase separation, macromolecular crowding and colloidal physics explain nuclear organisation?

PubMed

Iborra, Francisco J

2007-04-12

The cell nucleus is highly compartmentalized with well-defined domains, it is not well understood how this nuclear order is maintained. Many scientists are fascinated by the different set of structures observed in the nucleus to attribute functions to them. In order to distinguish functional compartments from non-functional aggregates, I believe is important to investigate the biophysical nature of nuclear organisation. The various nuclear compartments can be divided broadly as chromatin or protein and/or RNA based, and they have very different dynamic properties. The chromatin compartment displays a slow, constrained diffusional motion. On the other hand, the protein/RNA compartment is very dynamic. Physical systems with dynamical asymmetry go to viscoelastic phase separation. This phase separation phenomenon leads to the formation of a long-lived interaction network of slow components (chromatin) scattered within domains rich in fast components (protein/RNA). Moreover, the nucleus is packed with macromolecules in the order of 300 mg/ml. This high concentration of macromolecules produces volume exclusion effects that enhance attractive interactions between macromolecules, known as macromolecular crowding, which favours the formation of compartments. In this paper I hypothesise that nuclear compartmentalization can be explained by viscoelastic phase separation of the dynamically different nuclear components, in combination with macromolecular crowding and the properties of colloidal particles. I demonstrate that nuclear structure can satisfy the predictions of this hypothesis. I discuss the functional implications of this phenomenon.

Numerical simulation of NQR/NMR: Applications in quantum computing.

PubMed

Possa, Denimar; Gaudio, Anderson C; Freitas, Jair C C

2011-04-01

A numerical simulation program able to simulate nuclear quadrupole resonance (NQR) as well as nuclear magnetic resonance (NMR) experiments is presented, written using the Mathematica package, aiming especially applications in quantum computing. The program makes use of the interaction picture to compute the effect of the relevant nuclear spin interactions, without any assumption about the relative size of each interaction. This makes the program flexible and versatile, being useful in a wide range of experimental situations, going from NQR (at zero or under small applied magnetic field) to high-field NMR experiments. Some conditions specifically required for quantum computing applications are implemented in the program, such as the possibility of use of elliptically polarized radiofrequency and the inclusion of first- and second-order terms in the average Hamiltonian expansion. A number of examples dealing with simple NQR and quadrupole-perturbed NMR experiments are presented, along with the proposal of experiments to create quantum pseudopure states and logic gates using NQR. The program and the various application examples are freely available through the link http://www.profanderson.net/files/nmr_nqr.php. Copyright © 2011 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

Accelerating nuclear configuration interaction calculations through a preconditioned block iterative eigensolver

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Shao, Meiyue; Aktulga, H. Metin; Yang, Chao; Ng, Esmond G.; Maris, Pieter; Vary, James P.

2018-01-01

We describe a number of recently developed techniques for improving the performance of large-scale nuclear configuration interaction calculations on high performance parallel computers. We show the benefit of using a preconditioned block iterative method to replace the Lanczos algorithm that has traditionally been used to perform this type of computation. The rapid convergence of the block iterative method is achieved by a proper choice of starting guesses of the eigenvectors and the construction of an effective preconditioner. These acceleration techniques take advantage of special structure of the nuclear configuration interaction problem which we discuss in detail. The use of a block method also allows us to improve the concurrency of the computation, and take advantage of the memory hierarchy of modern microprocessors to increase the arithmetic intensity of the computation relative to data movement. We also discuss the implementation details that are critical to achieving high performance on massively parallel multi-core supercomputers, and demonstrate that the new block iterative solver is two to three times faster than the Lanczos based algorithm for problems of moderate sizes on a Cray XC30 system.

p35 Regulates the CRM1-Dependent Nucleocytoplasmic Shuttling of Nuclear Hormone Receptor Coregulator-Interacting Factor 1 (NIF-1)

PubMed Central

Zhao, Xiao-Su; Fu, Wing-Yu; Chien, Winnie W. Y.; Li, Zhen; Fu, Amy K. Y.; Ip, Nancy Y.

2014-01-01

Cyclin-dependent kinase 5 (Cdk5) is a proline-directed serine/threonine kinase, which plays critical roles in a wide spectrum of neuronal functions including neuronal survival, neurite outgrowth, and synapse development and plasticity. Cdk5 activity is controlled by its specific activators: p35 or p39. While knockout studies reveal that Cdk5/p35 is critical for neuronal migration during early brain development, functions of Cdk5/p35 have been unraveled through the identification of the interacting proteins of p35, most of which are Cdk5/p35 substrates. However, it remains unclear whether p35 can regulate neuronal functions independent of Cdk5 activity. Here, we report that a nuclear protein, nuclear hormone receptor coregulator (NRC)-interacting factor 1 (NIF-1), is a new interacting partner of p35. Interestingly, p35 regulates the functions of NIF-1 independent of Cdk5 activity. NIF-1 was initially discovered as a transcriptional regulator that enhances the transcriptional activity of nuclear hormone receptors. Our results show that p35 interacts with NIF-1 and regulates its nucleocytoplasmic trafficking via the nuclear export pathway. Furthermore, we identified a nuclear export signal on p35; mutation of this site or blockade of the CRM1/exportin-dependent nuclear export pathway resulted in the nuclear accumulation of p35. Intriguingly, blocking the nuclear export of p35 attenuated the nuclear accumulation of NIF-1. These findings reveal a new p35-dependent mechanism in transcriptional regulation that involves the nucleocytoplasmic shuttling of transcription regulators. PMID:25329792

p35 regulates the CRM1-dependent nucleocytoplasmic shuttling of nuclear hormone receptor coregulator-interacting factor 1 (NIF-1).

PubMed

Zhao, Xiao-Su; Fu, Wing-Yu; Chien, Winnie W Y; Li, Zhen; Fu, Amy K Y; Ip, Nancy Y

2014-01-01

Cyclin-dependent kinase 5 (Cdk5) is a proline-directed serine/threonine kinase, which plays critical roles in a wide spectrum of neuronal functions including neuronal survival, neurite outgrowth, and synapse development and plasticity. Cdk5 activity is controlled by its specific activators: p35 or p39. While knockout studies reveal that Cdk5/p35 is critical for neuronal migration during early brain development, functions of Cdk5/p35 have been unraveled through the identification of the interacting proteins of p35, most of which are Cdk5/p35 substrates. However, it remains unclear whether p35 can regulate neuronal functions independent of Cdk5 activity. Here, we report that a nuclear protein, nuclear hormone receptor coregulator (NRC)-interacting factor 1 (NIF-1), is a new interacting partner of p35. Interestingly, p35 regulates the functions of NIF-1 independent of Cdk5 activity. NIF-1 was initially discovered as a transcriptional regulator that enhances the transcriptional activity of nuclear hormone receptors. Our results show that p35 interacts with NIF-1 and regulates its nucleocytoplasmic trafficking via the nuclear export pathway. Furthermore, we identified a nuclear export signal on p35; mutation of this site or blockade of the CRM1/exportin-dependent nuclear export pathway resulted in the nuclear accumulation of p35. Intriguingly, blocking the nuclear export of p35 attenuated the nuclear accumulation of NIF-1. These findings reveal a new p35-dependent mechanism in transcriptional regulation that involves the nucleocytoplasmic shuttling of transcription regulators.

Correlated electron-nuclear dynamics in above-threshold multiphoton ionization of asymmetric molecule.

PubMed

Wang, Zhuo; Li, Min; Zhou, Yueming; Lan, Pengfei; Lu, Peixiang

2017-02-20

The partition of the photon energy into the subsystems of molecules determines many photon-induced chemical and physical dynamics in laser-molecule interactions. The electron-nuclear energy sharing from multiphoton ionization of molecules has been used to uncover the correlated dynamics of the electron and fragments. However, most previous studies focus on symmetric molecules. Here we study the electron-nuclear energy sharing in strong-field photoionization of HeH 2+ by solving the one-dimensional time-dependent Schrödinger equation (TDSE). Compared with symmetric molecules, the joint electron-nuclear energy spectrum (JES) of HeH 2+ reveals an anomalous energy shift at certain nuclear energies, while it disappears at higher and lower nuclear energies. Through tracing the time evolution of the wavepacket of bound states, we identify that this energy shift originates from the joint effect of the Stark shift, associated with the permanent dipole, and the Autler-Townes effect due to the coupling of the 2pσ and 2sσ states in strong fields. The energy shift in the JES appears at certain nuclear distances only when both Stark effect and Autler-Townes effect play important roles. We further demonstrate that the electron-nuclei energy sharing can be controlled by varying laser intensity for asymmetric molecules, providing alternative approaches to manipulate photochemical reactions for more complex molecules.

Nuclear quadrupole resonance lineshape analysis for different motional models: Stochastic Liouville approach

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Kruk, D.; Earle, K. A.; Mielczarek, A.; Kubica, A.; Milewska, A.; Moscicki, J.

2011-12-01

A general theory of lineshapes in nuclear quadrupole resonance (NQR), based on the stochastic Liouville equation, is presented. The description is valid for arbitrary motional conditions (particularly beyond the valid range of perturbation approaches) and interaction strengths. It can be applied to the computation of NQR spectra for any spin quantum number and for any applied magnetic field. The treatment presented here is an adaptation of the "Swedish slow motion theory," [T. Nilsson and J. Kowalewski, J. Magn. Reson. 146, 345 (2000), 10.1006/jmre.2000.2125] originally formulated for paramagnetic systems, to NQR spectral analysis. The description is formulated for simple (Brownian) diffusion, free diffusion, and jump diffusion models. The two latter models account for molecular cooperativity effects in dense systems (such as liquids of high viscosity or molecular glasses). The sensitivity of NQR slow motion spectra to the mechanism of the motional processes modulating the nuclear quadrupole interaction is discussed.

Classical Molecular Dynamics Simulation of Nuclear Fuel

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Devanathan, Ram; Krack, Matthias; Bertolus, Marjorie

2015-10-10

Molecular dynamics simulation is well suited to study primary damage production by irradiation, defect interactions with fission gas atoms, gas bubble nucleation, grain boundary effects on defect and gas bubble evolution in nuclear fuel, and the resulting changes in thermo-mechanical properties. In these simulations, the forces on the ions are dictated by interaction potentials generated by fitting properties of interest to experimental data. The results obtained from the present generation of potentials are qualitatively similar, but quantitatively different. There is a need to refine existing potentials to provide a better representation of the performance of polycrystalline fuel under a varietymore » of operating conditions, and to develop models that are equipped to handle deviations from stoichiometry. In addition to providing insights into fundamental mechanisms governing the behaviour of nuclear fuel, MD simulations can also provide parameters that can be used as inputs for mesoscale models.« less

Communication: Quantum molecular dynamics simulation of liquid para-hydrogen by nuclear and electron wave packet approach

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Hyeon-Deuk, Kim, E-mail: kim@kuchem.kyoto-u.ac.jp; Japan Science and Technology Agency, PRESTO, 4-1-8 Honcho, Kawaguchi, Saitama 332-0012; Ando, Koji

2014-05-07

Liquid para-hydrogen (p-H{sub 2}) is a typical quantum liquid which exhibits strong nuclear quantum effects (NQEs) and thus anomalous static and dynamic properties. We propose a real-time simulation method of wave packet (WP) molecular dynamics (MD) based on non-empirical intra- and inter-molecular interactions of non-spherical hydrogen molecules, and apply it to condensed-phase p-H{sub 2}. The NQEs, such as WP delocalization and zero-point energy, are taken into account without perturbative expansion of prepared model potential functions but with explicit interactions between nuclear and electron WPs. The developed MD simulation for 100 ps with 1200 hydrogen molecules is realized at feasible computationalmore » cost, by which basic experimental properties of p-H{sub 2} liquid such as radial distribution functions, self-diffusion coefficients, and shear viscosities are all well reproduced.« less

Mirror energy difference and the structure of loosely bound proton-rich nuclei around A =20

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Yuan, Cenxi; Qi, Chong; Xu, Furong; Suzuki, Toshio; Otsuka, Takaharu

2014-04-01

The properties of loosely bound proton-rich nuclei around A =20 are investigated within the framework of the nuclear shell model. In these nuclei, the strength of the effective interactions involving the loosely bound proton s1/2 orbit is significantly reduced in comparison with that of those in their mirror nuclei. We evaluate the reduction of the effective interaction by calculating the monopole-based-universal interaction (VMU) in the Woods-Saxon basis. The shell-model Hamiltonian in the sd shell, such as USD, can thus be modified to reproduce the binding energies and energy levels of the weakly bound proton-rich nuclei around A =20. The effect of the reduction of the effective interaction on the structure and decay properties of these nuclei is also discussed.

JAB1 regulates unphosphorylated STAT3 DNA-binding activity through protein–protein interaction in human colon cancer cells

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Nishimoto, Arata, E-mail: anishimo@yamaguchi-u.ac.jp; Kugimiya, Naruji; Hosoyama, Toru

2013-08-30

Highlights: •JAB1 interacted with unphosphorylated STAT3 in the nucleus. •JAB1 knockdown tended to increase nuclear STAT3 expression. •JAB1 knockdown significantly decreased unphosphorylated STAT3 DNA-binding activity. •JAB1 knockdown significantly decreased MDR1, NANOG, and VEGF expressions. •Nuclear JAB1, but not nuclear STAT3, correlated with STAT3 DNA-binding activity. -- Abstract: Recent studies have revealed that unphosphorylated STAT3 forms a dimer, translocates to the nucleus, binds to the STAT3 binding site, and activates the transcription of STAT3 target genes, thereby playing an important role in oncogenesis in addition to phosphorylated STAT3. Among signaling steps of unphosphorylated STAT3, nuclear translocation and target DNA-binding are themore » critical steps for its activation. Therefore, elucidating the regulatory mechanism of these signaling steps of unphosphorylated STAT3 is a potential step in the discovery of a novel cancer drug. However, the mechanism of unphosphorylated STAT3 binding to the promoter of target genes remains unclear. In this study, we focused on Jun activation domain-binding protein 1 (JAB1) as a candidate protein that regulates unphosphorylated STAT3 DNA-binding activity. Initially, we observed that both unphosphorylated STAT3 and JAB1 existed in the nucleus of human colon cancer cell line COLO205 at the basal state (no cytokine stimulation). On the other hand, phosphorylated STAT3 did not exist in the nucleus of COLO205 cells at the basal state. Immunoprecipitation using nuclear extract of COLO205 cells revealed that JAB1 interacted with unphosphorylated STAT3. To investigate the effect of JAB1 on unphosphorylated STAT3 activity, RNAi studies were performed. Although JAB1 knockdown tended to increase nuclear STAT3 expression, it significantly decreased unphosphorylated STAT3 DNA-binding activity. Subsequently, JAB1 knockdown significantly decreased the expression levels of MDR1, NANOG, and VEGF, which are STAT3 target genes. Furthermore, the expression level of nuclear JAB1, but not nuclear STAT3, correlated with unphosphorylated STAT3 DNA-binding activity between COLO205 and LoVo cells. Taken together, these results suggest that nuclear JAB1 positively regulates unphosphorylated STAT3 DNA-binding activity through protein–protein interaction in human colon cancer cell line COLO205.« less

Nuclear export of cutaneous HPV8 E7 oncoprotein is mediated by a leucine-rich nuclear export signal via a CRM1 pathway

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Onder, Zeynep; Chang, Vivian; Moroianu, Junona, E-mail: moroianu@bc.edu

2015-01-01

We recently determined that the nuclear import of cutaneous beta genus HPV8 E7 oncoprotein it is mediated by its zinc-binding domain via direct hydrophobic interactions with the FG nucleoporins Nup62 and Nup153 (Onder and Moroianu, 2014). Here we investigated the nuclear export of HPV8 E7 oncoprotein using confocal microscopy after transfections of HeLa cells with EGFP–8cE7 and mutant plasmids and treatment with Ratjadone A nuclear export inhibitor. We determined that HPV8 E7 contains a leucine-rich nuclear export signal (NES), {sub 76}IRTFQELLF{sub 84}, within its zinc-binding domain that mediates its nuclear export via a CRM1 pathway. We found that HPV8 E7more » interacts with CRM1 and that the hydrophobic amino acid residues I76, F79 and L82 of the NES are essential for this interaction and for nuclear export of HPV8 E7 oncoprotein. - Highlights: • HPV8 E7 has a leucine-rich NES within its zinc-binding domain that mediates its nuclear export. • CRM1 nuclear export receptor interacts with HPV8 E7 and mediates its export. • Identification of the critical hydrophobic amino acids of the NES of HPV8 E7.« less

rigor mortis encodes a novel nuclear receptor interacting protein required for ecdysone signaling during Drosophila larval development.

PubMed

Gates, Julie; Lam, Geanette; Ortiz, José A; Losson, Régine; Thummel, Carl S

2004-01-01

Pulses of the steroid hormone ecdysone trigger the major developmental transitions in Drosophila, including molting and puparium formation. The ecdysone signal is transduced by the EcR/USP nuclear receptor heterodimer that binds to specific response elements in the genome and directly regulates target gene transcription. We describe a novel nuclear receptor interacting protein encoded by rigor mortis (rig) that is required for ecdysone responses during larval development. rig mutants display defects in molting, delayed larval development, larval lethality, duplicated mouth parts, and defects in puparium formation--phenotypes that resemble those seen in EcR, usp, E75A and betaFTZ-F1 mutants. Although the expression of these nuclear receptor genes is essentially normal in rig mutant larvae, the ecdysone-triggered switch in E74 isoform expression is defective. rig encodes a protein with multiple WD-40 repeats and an LXXLL motif, sequences that act as specific protein-protein interaction domains. Consistent with the presence of these elements and the lethal phenotypes of rig mutants, Rig protein interacts with several Drosophila nuclear receptors in GST pull-down experiments, including EcR, USP, DHR3, SVP and betaFTZ-F1. The ligand binding domain of betaFTZ-F1 is sufficient for this interaction, which can occur in an AF-2-independent manner. Antibody stains reveal that Rig protein is present in the brain and imaginal discs of second and third instar larvae, where it is restricted to the cytoplasm. In larval salivary gland and midgut cells, however, Rig shuttles between the cytoplasm and nucleus in a spatially and temporally regulated manner, at times that correlate with the major lethal phase of rig mutants and major switches in ecdysone-regulated gene expression. Taken together, these data indicate that rig exerts essential functions during larval development through gene-specific effects on ecdysone-regulated transcription, most likely as a cofactor for one or more nuclear receptors. Furthermore, the dynamic intracellular redistribution of Rig protein suggests that it may act to refine spatial and temporal responses to ecdysone during development.

Climatic Effects of Regional Nuclear War

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Oman, Luke D.

2011-01-01

We use a modern climate model and new estimates of smoke generated by fires in contemporary cities to calculate the response of the climate system to a regional nuclear war between emerging third world nuclear powers using 100 Hiroshima-size bombs (less than 0.03% of the explosive yield of the current global nuclear arsenal) on cities in the subtropics. We find significant cooling and reductions of precipitation lasting years, which would impact the global food supply. The climate changes are large and longlasting because the fuel loadings in modern cities are quite high and the subtropical solar insolation heats the resulting smoke cloud and lofts it into the high stratosphere, where removal mechanisms are slow. While the climate changes are less dramatic than found in previous "nuclear winter" simulations of a massive nuclear exchange between the superpowers, because less smoke is emitted, the changes seem to be more persistent because of improvements in representing aerosol processes and microphysical/dynamical interactions, including radiative heating effects, in newer global climate system models. The assumptions and calculations that go into these conclusions will be described.

The role of electronic energy loss in ion beam modification of materials

DOE PAGES

Weber, William J.; Duffy, Dorothy M.; Thome, Lionel; ...

2014-10-05

The interaction of energetic ions with solids results in energy loss to both atomic nuclei and electrons in the solid. In this article, recent advances in understanding and modeling the additive and competitive effects of nuclear and electronic energy loss on the response of materials to ion irradiation are reviewed. Experimental methods and large-scale atomistic simulations are used to study the separate and combined effects of nuclear and electronic energy loss on ion beam modification of materials. The results demonstrate that nuclear and electronic energy loss can lead to additive effects on irradiation damage production in some materials; while inmore » other materials, the competitive effects of electronic energy loss leads to recovery of damage induced by elastic collision cascades. Lastly, these results have significant implications for ion beam modification of materials, non-thermal recovery of ion implantation damage, and the response of materials to extreme radiation environments.« less

Nesprin 4 is an outer nuclear membrane protein that can induce kinesin-mediated cell polarization

PubMed Central

Roux, Kyle J.; Crisp, Melissa L.; Liu, Qian; Kim, Daein; Kozlov, Serguei; Stewart, Colin L.; Burke, Brian

2009-01-01

Nucleocytoplasmic coupling is mediated by outer nuclear membrane (ONM) nesprin proteins and inner nuclear membrane Sun proteins. Interactions spanning the perinuclear space create nesprin–Sun complexes connecting the cytoskeleton to nuclear components. A search for proteins displaying a conserved C-terminal sequence present in nesprins 1–3 identified nesprin 4 (Nesp4), a new member of this family. Nesp4 is a kinesin-1-binding protein that displays Sun-dependent localization to the ONM. Expression of Nesp4 is associated with dramatic changes in cellular organization involving relocation of the centrosome and Golgi apparatus relative to the nucleus. These effects can be accounted for entirely by Nesp4's kinesin-binding function. The implication is that Nesp4 may contribute to microtubule-dependent nuclear positioning. PMID:19164528

Nesprin 4 is an outer nuclear membrane protein that can induce kinesin-mediated cell polarization.

PubMed

Roux, Kyle J; Crisp, Melissa L; Liu, Qian; Kim, Daein; Kozlov, Serguei; Stewart, Colin L; Burke, Brian

2009-02-17

Nucleocytoplasmic coupling is mediated by outer nuclear membrane (ONM) nesprin proteins and inner nuclear membrane Sun proteins. Interactions spanning the perinuclear space create nesprin-Sun complexes connecting the cytoskeleton to nuclear components. A search for proteins displaying a conserved C-terminal sequence present in nesprins 1-3 identified nesprin 4 (Nesp4), a new member of this family. Nesp4 is a kinesin-1-binding protein that displays Sun-dependent localization to the ONM. Expression of Nesp4 is associated with dramatic changes in cellular organization involving relocation of the centrosome and Golgi apparatus relative to the nucleus. These effects can be accounted for entirely by Nesp4's kinesin-binding function. The implication is that Nesp4 may contribute to microtubule-dependent nuclear positioning.

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Patrick, C. E.; Aliaga, L.; Bashyal, A.

We present double-differential measurements of antineutrino charged-current quasielastic scattering in the MINERvA detector. This study improves on a previous single-differential measurement by using updated reconstruction algorithms and interaction models and provides a complete description of observed muon kinematics in the form of a double-differential cross section with respect to muon transverse and longitudinal momentum. We also include in our signal definition, zero-meson final states arising from multinucleon interactions and from resonant pion production followed by pion absorption in the primary nucleus. We find that model agreement is considerably improved by a model tuned to MINERvA inclusive neutrino scattering data thatmore » incorporates nuclear effects such as weak nuclear screening and two-particle, two-hole enhancements.« less

A comparison of nuclear and cytoplasmic genetic effects on sperm competitiveness and female remating in a seed beetle.

PubMed

Dowling, D K; Friberg, U; Arnqvist, G

2007-11-01

It is widely assumed that male sperm competitiveness evolves adaptively. However, recent studies have found a cytoplasmic genetic component to phenotypic variation in some sperm traits presumed important in sperm competition. As cytoplasmic genes are maternally transmitted, they cannot respond to selection on sperm and this constraint may affect the scope in which sperm competitiveness can evolve adaptively. We examined nuclear and cytoplasmic genetic contributions to sperm competitiveness, using populations of Callosobruchus maculatus carrying orthogonal combinations of nuclear and cytoplasmic lineages. Our design also enabled us to examine genetic contributions to female remating. We found that sperm competitiveness and remating are primarily encoded by nuclear genes. In particular, a male's sperm competitiveness phenotype was contingent on an interaction between the competing male genotypes. Furthermore, cytoplasmic effects were detected on remating but not sperm competitiveness, suggesting that cytoplasmic genes do not generally play a profound evolutionary role in sperm competition.

Dynamic Isovector Reorientation of Deuteron as a Probe to Nuclear Symmetry Energy.

PubMed

Ou, Li; Xiao, Zhigang; Yi, Han; Wang, Ning; Liu, Min; Tian, Junlong

2015-11-20

We present the calculations on a novel reorientation effect of deuteron attributed to isovector interaction in the nuclear field of heavy target nuclei. The correlation angle determined by the relative momentum vector of the proton and the neutron originating from the breakup deuteron, which is experimentally detectable, exhibits significant dependence on the isovector nuclear potential but is robust against the variation of the isoscaler sector. In terms of sensitivity and cleanness, the breakup reactions induced by the polarized deuteron beam at about 100 MeV/u provide a more stringent constraint to the symmetry energy at subsaturation densities.

Orbital electron capture by the nucleus

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Bambynek, W.; Behrens, H.; Chen, M. H.; Crasemann, B.; Fitzpatrick, M. L.; Ledingham, K. W. D.; Genz, H.; Mutterer, M.; Intemann, R. L.

1976-01-01

The theory of nuclear electron capture is reviewed in the light of current understanding of weak interactions. Experimental methods and results regarding capture probabilities, capture ratios, and EC/Beta(+) ratios are summarized. Radiative electron capture is discussed, including both theory and experiment. Atomic wave function overlap and electron exchange effects are covered, as are atomic transitions that accompany nuclear electron capture. Tables are provided to assist the reader in determining quantities of interest for specific cases.

Disruption of PCNA-lamins A/C interactions by prelamin A induces DNA replication fork stalling.

PubMed

Cobb, Andrew M; Murray, Thomas V; Warren, Derek T; Liu, Yiwen; Shanahan, Catherine M

2016-09-02

The accumulation of prelamin A is linked to disruption of cellular homeostasis, tissue degeneration and aging. Its expression is implicated in compromised genome stability and increased levels of DNA damage, but to date there is no complete explanation for how prelamin A exerts its toxic effects. As the nuclear lamina is important for DNA replication we wanted to investigate the relationship between prelamin A expression and DNA replication fork stability. In this study we report that the expression of prelamin A in U2OS cells induced both mono-ubiquitination of proliferating cell nuclear antigen (PCNA) and subsequent induction of Pol η, two hallmarks of DNA replication fork stalling. Immunofluorescence microscopy revealed that cells expressing prelamin A presented with high levels of colocalisation between PCNA and γH2AX, indicating collapse of stalled DNA replication forks into DNA double-strand breaks. Subsequent protein-protein interaction assays showed prelamin A interacted with PCNA and that its presence mitigated interactions between PCNA and the mature nuclear lamina. Thus, we propose that the cytotoxicity of prelamin A arises in part, from it actively competing against mature lamin A to bind PCNA and that this destabilises DNA replication to induce fork stalling which in turn contributes to genomic instability.

Constraining in-medium nucleon-nucleon interactions via nucleus-nucleus reactions

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Sammarruca, Francesca; White, Larz

2010-11-01

The nuclear equation of state is a broadly useful tool. Besides being the main input of stellar structure calculations, it allows a direct connection to the physics of nuclei. For instance, an energy functional (such as a mass formula), together with the energy/particle in nuclear matter, can be used to predict nuclear energies and radii [1]. The single-particle properties are also a key point to link infinite nuclear matter and actual nuclei. The parameters of the single-particle potential, in particular the effective mass, enter the calculations of, for instance, in-medium effective cross sections. From the well-known Glauber reaction theory, the total nucleus-nucleus reaction cross section is expressed in terms of the nuclear transparency, which, in turn, depends on the overlap of the nuclear density distributions and the elementary nucleon-nucleon (NN) cross sections. We explore the sensitivity of the reaction calculation to medium modifications of the NN cross sections to estimate the likelihood of constraining the latter through nuclear reactions. Ultimately, we wish to incorporate isospin asymmetry in the reaction model, having in mind connections with rare isotopes. [1] F. Sammarruca, arXiv:1002.00146 [nucl-th]; International Journal of Modern Physics, in press.

Drosophila TIM Binds Importin α1, and Acts as an Adapter to Transport PER to the Nucleus

PubMed Central

Jang, A. Reum; Moravcevic, Katarina; Saez, Lino; Young, Michael W.; Sehgal, Amita

2015-01-01

Regulated nuclear entry of clock proteins is a conserved feature of eukaryotic circadian clocks and serves to separate the phase of mRNA activation from mRNA repression in the molecular feedback loop. In Drosophila, nuclear entry of the clock proteins, PERIOD (PER) and TIMELESS (TIM), is tightly controlled, and impairments of this process produce profound behavioral phenotypes. We report here that nuclear entry of PER-TIM in clock cells, and consequently behavioral rhythms, require a specific member of a classic nuclear import pathway, Importin α1 (IMPα1). In addition to IMPα1, rhythmic behavior and nuclear expression of PER-TIM require a specific nuclear pore protein, Nup153, and Ran-GTPase. IMPα1 can also drive rapid and efficient nuclear expression of TIM and PER in cultured cells, although the effect on PER is mediated by TIM. Mapping of interaction domains between IMPα1 and TIM/PER suggests that TIM is the primary cargo for the importin machinery. This is supported by attenuated interaction of IMPα1 with TIM carrying a mutation previously shown to prevent nuclear entry of TIM and PER. TIM is detected at the nuclear envelope, and computational modeling suggests that it contains HEAT-ARM repeats typically found in karyopherins, consistent with its role as a co-transporter for PER. These findings suggest that although PER is the major timekeeper of the clock, TIM is the primary target of nuclear import mechanisms. Thus, the circadian clock uses specific components of the importin pathway with a novel twist in that TIM serves a karyopherin-like role for PER. PMID:25674790

Mitochondrial-nuclear interactions and accelerated compensatory evolution: evidence from the primate cytochrome C oxidase complex.

PubMed

Osada, Naoki; Akashi, Hiroshi

2012-01-01

Accelerated rates of mitochondrial protein evolution have been proposed to reflect Darwinian coadaptation for efficient energy production for mammalian flight and brain activity. However, several features of mammalian mtDNA (absence of recombination, small effective population size, and high mutation rate) promote genome degradation through the accumulation of weakly deleterious mutations. Here, we present evidence for "compensatory" adaptive substitutions in nuclear DNA- (nDNA) encoded mitochondrial proteins to prevent fitness decline in primate mitochondrial protein complexes. We show that high mutation rate and small effective population size, key features of primate mitochondrial genomes, can accelerate compensatory adaptive evolution in nDNA-encoded genes. We combine phylogenetic information and the 3D structure of the cytochrome c oxidase (COX) complex to test for accelerated compensatory changes among interacting sites. Physical interactions among mtDNA- and nDNA-encoded components are critical in COX evolution; amino acids in close physical proximity in the 3D structure show a strong tendency for correlated evolution among lineages. Only nuclear-encoded components of COX show evidence for positive selection and adaptive nDNA-encoded changes tend to follow mtDNA-encoded amino acid changes at nearby sites in the 3D structure. This bias in the temporal order of substitutions supports compensatory weak selection as a major factor in accelerated primate COX evolution.

Public meetings on radiation and its health effects caused by the Fukushima nuclear accident

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Sugiyama, K.; Ayame, J.; Takashita, H.

2013-07-01

The Japan Atomic Energy Agency (JAEA) has held public meetings on radiation and its health effects mainly for parents of students in kindergartens, elementary schools, and junior high schools in Fukushima and Ibaraki prefectures after the Fukushima nuclear accident. These meetings are held based on our experience of practicing risk communication activities for a decade in JAEA with local residents. By analyzing questionnaires collected after the meetings, we confirmed that interactive communication is effective in increasing participants' understanding and in decreasing their anxiety. Most of the participants answered that they understood the contents and that it eased their mind. (authors)

Structural and calorimetric studies demonstrate that the hepatocyte nuclear factor 1β (HNF1β) transcription factor is imported into the nucleus via a monopartite NLS sequence.

PubMed

Wiedmann, Mareike M; Aibara, Shintaro; Spring, David R; Stewart, Murray; Brenton, James D

2016-09-01

The transcription factor hepatocyte nuclear factor 1β (HNF1β) is ubiquitously overexpressed in ovarian clear cell carcinoma (CCC) and is a potential therapeutic target. To explore potential approaches that block HNF1β transcription we have identified and characterised extensively the nuclear localisation signal (NLS) for HNF1β and its interactions with the nuclear protein import receptor, Importin-α. Pull-down assays demonstrated that the DNA binding domain of HNF1β interacted with a spectrum of Importin-α isoforms and deletion constructs tagged with eGFP confirmed that the HNF1β (229)KKMRRNR(235) sequence was essential for nuclear localisation. We further characterised the interaction between the NLS and Importin-α using complementary biophysical techniques and have determined the 2.4Å resolution crystal structure of the HNF1β NLS peptide bound to Importin-α. The functional, biochemical, and structural characterisation of the nuclear localisation signal present on HNF1β and its interaction with the nuclear import protein Importin-α provide the basis for the development of compounds targeting transcription factor HNF1β via its nuclear import pathway. Copyright © 2016. Published by Elsevier Inc.

In-plane nuclear field formation investigated in single self-assembled quantum dots

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Yamamoto, S.; Matsusaki, R.; Kaji, R.; Adachi, S.

2018-02-01

We studied the formation mechanism of the in-plane nuclear field in single self-assembled In0.75Al0.25As /Al0.3Ga0.7As quantum dots. The Hanle curves with an anomalously large width and hysteretic behavior at the critical transverse magnetic field were observed in many single quantum dots grown in the same sample. In order to explain the anomalies in the Hanle curve indicating the formation of a large nuclear field perpendicular to the photo-injected electron spin polarization, we propose a new model based on the current phenomenological model for dynamic nuclear spin polarization. The model includes the effects of the nuclear quadrupole interaction and the sign inversion between in-plane and out-of-plane components of nuclear g factors, and the model calculations reproduce successfully the characteristics of the observed anomalies in the Hanle curves.

Spallation processes and nuclear interaction products of cosmic rays.

PubMed

Silberberg, R; Tsao, C H

1990-08-01

Most cosmic-ray nuclei heavier than helium have suffered nuclear collisions in the interstellar gas, with transformation of nuclear composition. The isotopic and elemental composition at the sources has to be inferred from the observed composition near the Earth. The source composition permits tests of current ideas on sites of origin, nucleosynthesis in stars, evolution of stars, the mixing and composition of the interstellar medium and injection processes prior to acceleration. The effects of nuclear spallation, production of radioactive nuclides and the time dependence of their decay provide valuable information on the acceleration and propagation of cosmic rays, their nuclear transformations, and their confinement time in the Galaxy. The formation of spallation products that only decay by electron capture and are relatively long-lived permits an investigation of the nature and density fluctuations (like clouds) of the interstellar medium. Since nuclear collisions yield positrons, antiprotons, gamma rays and neutrinos, we shall discuss these topics briefly.

Dynamics and regulation of nuclear import and nuclear movements of HIV-1 complexes

PubMed Central

Burdick, Ryan C.; Chen, Jianbo; Sastri, Jaya; Hu, Wei-Shau

2017-01-01

The dynamics and regulation of HIV-1 nuclear import and its intranuclear movements after import have not been studied. To elucidate these essential HIV-1 post-entry events, we labeled viral complexes with two fluorescently tagged virion-incorporated proteins (APOBEC3F or integrase), and analyzed the HIV-1 dynamics of nuclear envelope (NE) docking, nuclear import, and intranuclear movements in living cells. We observed that HIV-1 complexes exhibit unusually long NE residence times (1.5±1.6 hrs) compared to most cellular cargos, which are imported into the nuclei within milliseconds. Furthermore, nuclear import requires HIV-1 capsid (CA) and nuclear pore protein Nup358, and results in significant loss of CA, indicating that one of the viral core uncoating steps occurs during nuclear import. Our results showed that the CA-Cyclophilin A interaction regulates the dynamics of nuclear import by delaying the time of NE docking as well as transport through the nuclear pore, but blocking reverse transcription has no effect on the kinetics of nuclear import. We also visualized the translocation of viral complexes docked at the NE into the nucleus and analyzed their nuclear movements and determined that viral complexes exhibited a brief fast phase (<9 min), followed by a long slow phase lasting several hours. A comparison of the movement of viral complexes to those of proviral transcription sites supports the hypothesis that HIV-1 complexes quickly tether to chromatin at or near their sites of integration in both wild-type cells and cells in which LEDGF/p75 was deleted using CRISPR/cas9, indicating that the tethering interactions do not require LEDGF/p75. These studies provide novel insights into the dynamics of viral complex-NE association, regulation of nuclear import, viral core uncoating, and intranuclear movements that precede integration site selection. PMID:28827840

Human stanniocalcin-1 interacts with nuclear and cytoplasmic proteins and acts as a SUMO E3 ligase.

PubMed

dos Santos, Marcos Tadeu; Trindade, Daniel Maragno; Gonçalves, Kaliandra de Almeida; Bressan, Gustavo Costa; Anastassopoulos, Filipe; Yunes, José Andres; Kobarg, Jörg

2011-01-01

Human stanniocalcin-1 (STC1) is a glycoprotein that has been implicated in different physiological process, including angiogenesis, apoptosis and carcinogenesis. Here we identified STC1 as a putative molecular marker for the leukemic bone marrow microenvironment and identified new interacting protein partners for STC1. Seven selected interactions retrieved from yeast two-hybrid screens were confirmed by GST-pull down assays in vitro. The N-terminal region was mapped to be the region that mediates the interaction with cytoplasmic, mitochondrial and nuclear proteins. STC1 interacts with SUMO-1 and several proteins that have been shown to be SUMOylated and localized to SUMOylation related nuclear bodies. Although STC1 interacts with SUMO-1 and has a high theoretical prediction score for a SUMOylation site, endogenous co-immunoprecipitation and in vitro SUMOylation assays with the purified recombinant protein could not detect STC1 SUMOylation. However, when we tested STC1 for SUMO E3 ligase activity, we found in an in vitro assay, that it significantly increases the SUMOylation of two other proteins. Confocal microscopic subcellular localization studies using both transfected cells and specific antibodies for endogenous STC1 revealed a cytoplasmic and nuclear deposition, the latter in the form of some specific dot-like substructure resembling SUMOylation related nuclear bodies. Together, these findings suggest a new role for STC1 in SUMOylation pathways, in nuclear bodies.

Nuclear Translocation of MEK1 Triggers a Complex T cell Response through the Co-repressor Silencing Mediator of Retinoid and Thyroid Hormone Receptor (SMRT)

PubMed Central

Guo, Lei; Chen, Chaoyu; Liang, Qiaoling; Karim, Md. Zunayet; Gorska, Magdalena M.; Alam, Rafeul

2012-01-01

MEK1 phosphorylates ERK1/2 and regulates T cell generation, differentiation and function. MEK1 has recently been shown to translocate to the nucleus. Its nuclear function is largely unknown. By studying human CD4 T cells we demonstrate that a low level of MEK1 is present in the nucleus of CD4 T cells under basal conditions. T cell activation further increases the nuclear translocation of MEK1. MEK1 interacts with the nuclear receptor co-repressor SMRT. MEK1 reduces the nuclear level of SMRT in an activation-dependent manner. MEK1 is recruited to the promoter of c-Fos upon TCR stimulation. Conversely, SMRT is bound to the c-Fos promoter under basal conditions and is removed upon TCR stimulation. We examined the role of SMRT in regulation of T cell function. siRNA-mediated knockdown of SMRT results in a biphasic effect on cytokine production. The production of the cytokines—IL2, IL4, IL10 and IFNγ increases in the early phase (8 hr) and then decreases in the late phase (48 hr). The late phase decrease is associated with inhibition of T cell proliferation. The late phase inhibition of T cell activation is, in part, mediated by IL10 that is produced in the early phase, and in part, by β-catenin signaling. Thus, we have identified a novel nuclear function of MEK1. MEK1 triggers a complex pattern of early T cell activation followed by a late inhibition through its interaction with SMRT. This biphasic dual effect likely reflects a homeostatic regulation of T cell function by MEK1. PMID:23225884

A nuclear magnetic resonance study of the dynamics of organofluorine interactions with a dissolved humic acid.

PubMed

Longstaffe, James G; Courtier-Murias, Denis; Simpson, Andre J

2016-02-01

A quantitative understanding of the dynamics of the interactions between organofluorine compounds and humic acids will contribute to an improved understanding of the role that Natural Organic Matter plays as a mediator in the fate, transport and distribution of these contaminants in the environment. Here, Nuclear Magnetic Resonance (NMR) spectroscopy-based diffusion measurements are used to estimate the association dynamics between dissolved humic acid and selected organofluorine compounds: pentafluoroaniline, pentafluorophenol, potassium perfluorooctane sulfonate, and perfluorooctanoic acid. Under the conditions used here, the strength of the association with humic acid increases linearly as temperature decreases for all compounds except for perfluorooctanoic acid, which exhibits divergent behavior with a non-linear decrease in the extent of interaction as temperature decreases. A general interaction mechanism controlled largely by desolvation effects is suggested for all compounds examined here except for perfluorooctanoic acid, which exhibits a specific mode of interaction consistent with a proteinaceous binding site. Reverse Heteronuclear Saturation Transfer Difference NMR is used to confirm the identity and nature of the humic acid binding sites. Copyright © 2015 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

0610009K11Rik, a testis-specific and germ cell nuclear receptor-interacting protein

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Zhang Heng; Denhard, Leslie A.; Zhou Huaxin

Using an in silico approach, a putative nuclear receptor-interacting protein 0610009K11Rik was identified in mouse testis. We named this gene testis-specific nuclear receptor-interacting protein-1 (Tnrip-1). Tnrip-1 was predominantly expressed in the testis of adult mouse tissues. Expression of Tnrip-1 in the testis was regulated during postnatal development, with robust expression in 14-day-old or older testes. In situ hybridization analyses showed that Tnrip-1 is highly expressed in pachytene spermatocytes and spermatids. Consistent with its mRNA expression, Tnrip-1 protein was detected in adult mouse testes. Immunohistochemical studies showed that Tnrip-1 is a nuclear protein and mainly expressed in pachytene spermatocytes and roundmore » spermatids. Moreover, co-immunoprecipitation analyses showed that endogenous Tnrip-1 protein can interact with germ cell nuclear receptor (GCNF) in adult mouse testes. Our results suggest that Tnrip-1 is a testis-specific and GCNF-interacting protein which may be involved in the modulation of GCNF-mediated gene transcription in spermatogenic cells within the testis.« less

Cytoplasmic utilization of human immunodeficiency virus type 1 genomic RNA is not dependent on a nuclear interaction with gag.

PubMed

Grewe, Bastian; Hoffmann, Bianca; Ohs, Inga; Blissenbach, Maik; Brandt, Sabine; Tippler, Bettina; Grunwald, Thomas; Uberla, Klaus

2012-03-01

In some retroviruses, such as Rous sarcoma virus and prototype foamy virus, Gag proteins are known to shuttle between the nucleus and the cytoplasm and are implicated in nuclear export of the viral genomic unspliced RNA (gRNA) for subsequent encapsidation. A similar function has been proposed for human immunodeficiency virus type 1 (HIV-1) Gag based on the identification of nuclear localization and export signals. However, the ability of HIV-1 Gag to transit through the nucleus has never been confirmed. In addition, the lentiviral Rev protein promotes efficient nuclear gRNA export, and previous reports indicate a cytoplasmic interaction between Gag and gRNA. Therefore, functional effects of HIV-1 Gag on gRNA and its usage were explored. Expression of gag in the absence of Rev was not able to increase cytoplasmic gRNA levels of subgenomic, proviral, or lentiviral vector constructs, and gene expression from genomic reporter plasmids could not be induced by Gag provided in trans. Furthermore, Gag lacking the reported nuclear localization and export signals was still able to mediate an efficient packaging process. Although small amounts of Gag were detectable in the nuclei of transfected cells, a Crm1-dependent nuclear export signal in Gag could not be confirmed. Thus, our study does not provide any evidence for a nuclear function of HIV-1 Gag. The encapsidation process of HIV-1 therefore clearly differs from that of Rous sarcoma virus and prototype foamy virus.

ϕ Meson Measurements at RHIC with the PHENIX Detector

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Sarsour, Murad

2018-02-01

The measurement of ϕ mesons provides key information on the phase of the hot and dense medium created in the relativistic heavy ion collisions. It has a relatively small hadronic interaction cross section and is sensitive to the increase of strangeness (strangeness enhancement), a phenomenon associated with soft particles in bulk matter. Measurements in the dilepton channels are especially interesting since leptons interact only electromagnetically, thus carrying the information from their production phase directly to the detector. Measurements in different nucleus-nucleus collisions allow us to perform a systematic study of the nuclear medium effects on ϕ meson production. The PHENIX detector provides the capabilities to measure the ϕ meson production in a wide range of transverse momentum and rapidity to study these effects. In this proceeding, we present measurements of the ϕ mesons in a variety of collision systems at = 200 GeV. In case of small systems, the data are compared with AMPT calculations to study the various cold nuclear medium effects involved in ϕ meson production.

Quantum Monte Carlo methods for nuclear physics

DOE PAGES

Carlson, J.; Gandolfi, S.; Pederiva, F.; ...

2015-09-09

Quantum Monte Carlo methods have proved valuable to study the structure and reactions of light nuclei and nucleonic matter starting from realistic nuclear interactions and currents. These ab-initio calculations reproduce many low-lying states, moments, and transitions in light nuclei, and simultaneously predict many properties of light nuclei and neutron matter over a rather wide range of energy and momenta. The nuclear interactions and currents are reviewed along with a description of the continuum quantum Monte Carlo methods used in nuclear physics. These methods are similar to those used in condensed matter and electronic structure but naturally include spin-isospin, tensor, spin-orbit,more » and three-body interactions. A variety of results are presented, including the low-lying spectra of light nuclei, nuclear form factors, and transition matrix elements. Low-energy scattering techniques, studies of the electroweak response of nuclei relevant in electron and neutrino scattering, and the properties of dense nucleonic matter as found in neutron stars are also described. Furthermore, a coherent picture of nuclear structure and dynamics emerges based upon rather simple but realistic interactions and currents.« less

Quantum Monte Carlo methods for nuclear physics

DOE PAGES

Carlson, Joseph A.; Gandolfi, Stefano; Pederiva, Francesco; ...

2014-10-19

Quantum Monte Carlo methods have proved very valuable to study the structure and reactions of light nuclei and nucleonic matter starting from realistic nuclear interactions and currents. These ab-initio calculations reproduce many low-lying states, moments and transitions in light nuclei, and simultaneously predict many properties of light nuclei and neutron matter over a rather wide range of energy and momenta. We review the nuclear interactions and currents, and describe the continuum Quantum Monte Carlo methods used in nuclear physics. These methods are similar to those used in condensed matter and electronic structure but naturally include spin-isospin, tensor, spin-orbit, and three-bodymore » interactions. We present a variety of results including the low-lying spectra of light nuclei, nuclear form factors, and transition matrix elements. We also describe low-energy scattering techniques, studies of the electroweak response of nuclei relevant in electron and neutrino scattering, and the properties of dense nucleonic matter as found in neutron stars. A coherent picture of nuclear structure and dynamics emerges based upon rather simple but realistic interactions and currents.« less

Visualising crystal packing interactions in solid-state NMR: Concepts and applications

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Zilka, Miri; Sturniolo, Simone; Brown, Steven P.; Yates, Jonathan R.

2017-10-01

In this article, we introduce and apply a methodology, based on density functional theory and the gauge-including projector augmented wave approach, to explore the effects of packing interactions on solid-state nuclear magnetic resonance (NMR) parameters. A visual map derived from a so-termed "magnetic shielding contribution field" can be made of the contributions to the magnetic shielding of a specific site—partitioning the chemical shift to specific interactions. The relation to the established approaches of examining the molecule to crystal change in the chemical shift and the nuclear independent chemical shift is established. The results are applied to a large sample of 71 molecular crystals and three further specific examples from supermolecular chemistry and pharmaceuticals. This approach extends the NMR crystallography toolkit and provides insight into the development of both cluster based approaches to the predictions of chemical shifts and for empirical predictions of chemical shifts in solids.

The effect of inflammation-related lifestyle exposures and interactions with gene variants on long interspersed nuclear element-1 DNA methylation.

PubMed

Gogna, Priyanka; O'Sullivan, Dylan E; King, Will D

2018-06-11

To examine the relationship between inflammation-related lifestyle factors and long interspersed nuclear element-1 (LINE-1) DNA methylation, and test for interaction by gene variants involved in one-carbon metabolism. The study population consisted of 280 individuals undergoing colonoscopy screening. Multivariable linear regression was employed to examine associations of physical activity, BMI and NSAID use with LINE-1 DNA methylation and interactions with MTR and MTHFR gene variants. The highest quartile of physical activity compared with the lowest was associated with higher LINE-1 DNA methylation (p = 0.005). Long-term NSAID use and a normal BMI were associated with increased LINE-1 DNA methylation among individuals with the variant MTR allele (p = 0.02; p = 0.03). This study provides evidence that inflammation-related exposures may influence LINE-1 DNA methylation.

Papers arising from IAEA Coordinated Research Project "Utilization of ion accelerators for studying and modelling of radiation induced defects in semiconductors and insulators" (F11016)

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Vittone, Ettore; Breese, Mark; Simon, Aliz

2016-04-01

Within the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) Department of Nuclear Sciences and Applications, activities are carried out to assist and advise IAEA Member States in assessing their needs for capacity building, research and development in nuclear sciences. Support is also provided to Member States' activities geared towards deriving benefits in fields such as (i) advanced materials for nuclear applications, (ii) application of accelerators and associated instrumentation, and (iii) nuclear, atomic and molecular data. One of the means that the IAEA uses to deliver its programme is Coordinated Research Projects (CRPs) which are very effective in stimulating international research and scientific interaction among the Member States.

Electron-deuteron DIS with spectator tagging at EIC: Development of theoretical framework

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Cosyn, Wim B.; Guzey, Vadim A.; Sargsian, Misak M.

2016-03-01

An Electron-Ion Collider (EIC) would enable next-generation measurements of deep-inelastic scattering (DIS) on the deuteron with detection of a forward-moving nucleon (p, n) and measurement of its recoil momentum ("spectator tagging''). Such experiments offer full control of the nuclear configuration during the high-energy process and can be used for precision studies of the neutron's partonic structure and its spin dependence, nuclear modifications of partonic structure, and nuclear shadowing at small x. We review the theoretical description of spectator tagging at EIC energies (light-front nuclear structure, on-shell extrapolation in the recoil nucleon momentum, final-state interactions, diffractive effects at small x) andmore » report about on-going developments.« less

Hyperfine structure in 229gTh3+ as a probe of the 229gTh→ 229mTh nuclear excitation energy.

PubMed

Beloy, K

2014-02-14

We identify a potential means to extract the 229gTh→ 229mTh nuclear excitation energy from precision microwave spectroscopy of the 5F(5/2,7/2) hyperfine manifolds in the ion 229gTh3+. The hyperfine interaction mixes this ground fine structure doublet with states of the nuclear isomer, introducing small but observable shifts to the hyperfine sublevels. We demonstrate how accurate atomic structure calculations may be combined with the measurement of the hyperfine intervals to quantify the effects of this mixing. Further knowledge of the magnetic dipole decay rate of the isomer, as recently reported, allows an indirect determination of the nuclear excitation energy.

Human Cytomegalovirus Nuclear Capsids Associate with the Core Nuclear Egress Complex and the Viral Protein Kinase pUL97

PubMed Central

Sonntag, Eric; Wagner, Sabrina; Strojan, Hanife; Wangen, Christina; Lenac Rovis, Tihana; Lisnic, Berislav; Jonjic, Stipan; Schlötzer-Schrehardt, Ursula; Marschall, Manfred

2018-01-01

The nuclear phase of herpesvirus replication is regulated through the formation of regulatory multi-component protein complexes. Viral genomic replication is followed by nuclear capsid assembly, DNA encapsidation and nuclear egress. The latter has been studied intensely pointing to the formation of a viral core nuclear egress complex (NEC) that recruits a multimeric assembly of viral and cellular factors for the reorganization of the nuclear envelope. To date, the mechanism of the association of human cytomegalovirus (HCMV) capsids with the NEC, which in turn initiates the specific steps of nuclear capsid budding, remains undefined. Here, we provide electron microscopy-based data demonstrating the association of both nuclear capsids and NEC proteins at nuclear lamina budding sites. Specifically, immunogold labelling of the core NEC constituent pUL53 and NEC-associated viral kinase pUL97 suggested an intranuclear NEC-capsid interaction. Staining patterns with phospho-specific lamin A/C antibodies are compatible with earlier postulates of targeted capsid egress at lamina-depleted areas. Important data were provided by co-immunoprecipitation and in vitro kinase analyses using lysates from HCMV-infected cells, nuclear fractions, or infectious virions. Data strongly suggest that nuclear capsids interact with pUL53 and pUL97. Combined, the findings support a refined concept of HCMV nuclear trafficking and NEC-capsid interaction. PMID:29342872

Human Cytomegalovirus Nuclear Capsids Associate with the Core Nuclear Egress Complex and the Viral Protein Kinase pUL97.

PubMed

Milbradt, Jens; Sonntag, Eric; Wagner, Sabrina; Strojan, Hanife; Wangen, Christina; Lenac Rovis, Tihana; Lisnic, Berislav; Jonjic, Stipan; Sticht, Heinrich; Britt, William J; Schlötzer-Schrehardt, Ursula; Marschall, Manfred

2018-01-13

The nuclear phase of herpesvirus replication is regulated through the formation of regulatory multi-component protein complexes. Viral genomic replication is followed by nuclear capsid assembly, DNA encapsidation and nuclear egress. The latter has been studied intensely pointing to the formation of a viral core nuclear egress complex (NEC) that recruits a multimeric assembly of viral and cellular factors for the reorganization of the nuclear envelope. To date, the mechanism of the association of human cytomegalovirus (HCMV) capsids with the NEC, which in turn initiates the specific steps of nuclear capsid budding, remains undefined. Here, we provide electron microscopy-based data demonstrating the association of both nuclear capsids and NEC proteins at nuclear lamina budding sites. Specifically, immunogold labelling of the core NEC constituent pUL53 and NEC-associated viral kinase pUL97 suggested an intranuclear NEC-capsid interaction. Staining patterns with phospho-specific lamin A/C antibodies are compatible with earlier postulates of targeted capsid egress at lamina-depleted areas. Important data were provided by co-immunoprecipitation and in vitro kinase analyses using lysates from HCMV-infected cells, nuclear fractions, or infectious virions. Data strongly suggest that nuclear capsids interact with pUL53 and pUL97. Combined, the findings support a refined concept of HCMV nuclear trafficking and NEC-capsid interaction.

Jaw1/LRMP has a role in maintaining nuclear shape via interaction with SUN proteins.

PubMed

Kozono, Takuma; Tadahira, Kazuko; Okumura, Wataru; Itai, Nao; Tamura-Nakano, Miwa; Dohi, Taeko; Tonozuka, Takashi; Nishikawa, Atsushi

2018-06-06

Jaw1/LRMP is characterized as a type II integral membrane protein that is localized to endoplasmic reticulum (ER), however, its physiological functions have been poorly understood. An alignment of amino acid sequence of Jaw1 with KASH proteins, outer nuclear membrane proteins, revealed that Jaw1 has a partial homology to the KASH domain. Here, we show that the function of Jaw1 is to maintain nuclear shape in mouse melanoma cell line. The siRNA-mediated knockdown of Jaw1 caused a severe defect in nuclear shape, and the defect was rescued by ectopic expression of siRNA-resistant Jaw1. Since co-immunoprecipitation assay indicates that Jaw1 interacts with SUN proteins that are inner nuclear proteins and microtubules, this study suggests that Jaw1 has a role in maintaining nuclear shape via interactions with SUN proteins and microtubules.

Interaction Between U-Mo Alloys and Alloys Al-Be

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Nikitin, S. N.; Tarasov, B. A.; Shornikov, D. P.

The main objective of the work is the experimental determination of the effect of doping on the kinetics of the interaction of beryllium, aluminum and uranium-molybdenum alloy dispersed in the nuclear fuel. It is shown that an increase in the content of Be in Al leads to a linear decrease in the rate of interaction of the alloy with uranium-molybdenum alloy. Besides AlBe-alloys have higher thermal and mechanical properties than other matrix alloys such as AlSi.

Suppression of interferon β gene transcription by inhibitors of bromodomain and extra-terminal (BET) family members.

PubMed

Malik, Nazma; Vollmer, Stefan; Nanda, Sambit Kumar; Lopez-Pelaez, Marta; Prescott, Alan; Gray, Nathanael; Cohen, Philip

2015-06-15

PLK (Polo-like kinase) inhibitors, such as BI-2536, have been reported to suppress IFNB (encoding IFNβ, interferon β) gene transcription induced by ligands that activate TLR3 (Toll-like receptor 3) and TLR4. In the present study, we found that BI-2536 is likely to exert this effect by preventing the interaction of the transcription factors IRF3 (interferon-regulatory factor 3) and c-Jun with the IFNB promoter, but without affecting the TBK1 {TANK [TRAF (tumour-necrosis-factor-receptor-associated factor)-associated nuclear factor κB activator]-binding kinase 1}-catalysed phosphorylation of IRF3 at Ser³⁹⁶, the dimerization and nuclear translocation of IRF3 or the phosphorylation of c-Jun and ATF2 (activating transcription factor 2). Although BI-2536 inhibits few other kinases tested, it interacts with BET (bromodomain and extra-terminal) family members and displaces them from acetylated lysine residues on histones. We found that BET inhibitors that do not inhibit PLKs phenocopied the effect of BI-2536 on IFNB gene transcription. Similarly, BET inhibitors blocked the interaction of IRF5 with the IFNB promoter and the secretion of IFNβ induced by TLR7 or TLR9 ligands in the human plasmacytoid dendritic cell line GEN2.2, but without affecting the nuclear translocation of IRF5. We found that the BET family member BRD4 (bromodomain-containing protein 4) was associated with the IFNB promoter and that this interaction was enhanced by TLR3- or TLR4-ligation and prevented by BI-2536 and other BET inhibitors. Our results establish that BET family members are essential for TLR-stimulated IFNB gene transcription by permitting transcription factors to interact with the IFNB promoter. They also show that the interaction of the IFNB promoter with BRD4 is regulated by TLR ligation and that BI-2536 is likely to suppress IFNB gene transcription by targeting BET family members. © 2015 The Author(s).

Communication: On the isotope anomaly of nuclear quadrupole coupling in molecules

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Filatov, Michael; Zou, Wenli; Cremer, Dieter

2012-10-01

The dependence of the nuclear quadrupole coupling constants (NQCC) on the interaction between electrons and a nucleus of finite size is theoretically analyzed. A deviation of the ratio of the NQCCs obtained from two different isotopomers of a molecule from the ratio of the corresponding bare nuclear electric quadrupole moments, known as quadrupole anomaly, is interpreted in terms of the logarithmic derivatives of the electric field gradient at the nuclear site with respect to the nuclear charge radius. Quantum chemical calculations based on a Dirac-exact relativistic methodology suggest that the effect of the changing size of the Au nucleus in different isotopomers can be observed for Au-containing molecules, for which the predicted quadrupole anomaly reaches values of the order of 0.1%. This is experimentally detectable and provides an insight into the charge distribution of non-spherical nuclei.

Toward an Experimental Quantum Chemistry: Exploring a New Energy Partitioning.

PubMed

Rahm, Martin; Hoffmann, Roald

2015-08-19

Following the work of L. C. Allen, this work begins by relating the central chemical concept of electronegativity with the average binding energy of electrons in a system. The average electron binding energy, χ̅, is in principle accessible from experiment, through photoelectron and X-ray spectroscopy. It can also be estimated theoretically. χ̅ has a rigorous and understandable connection to the total energy. That connection defines a new kind of energy decomposition scheme. The changing total energy in a reaction has three primary contributions to it: the average electron binding energy, the nuclear-nuclear repulsion, and multielectron interactions. This partitioning allows one to gain insight into the predominant factors behind a particular energetic preference. We can conclude whether an energy change in a transformation is favored or resisted by collective changes to the binding energy of electrons, the movement of nuclei, or multielectron interactions. For example, in the classical formation of H2 from atoms, orbital interactions dominate nearly canceling nuclear-nuclear repulsion and two-electron interactions. While in electron attachment to an H atom, the multielectron interactions drive the reaction. Looking at the balance of average electron binding energy, multielectron, and nuclear-nuclear contributions one can judge when more traditional electronegativity arguments can be justifiably invoked in the rationalization of a particular chemical event.

Nuclear export of cutaneous HPV8 E7 oncoprotein is mediated by a leucine-rich nuclear export signal via a CRM1 pathway.

PubMed

Onder, Zeynep; Chang, Vivian; Moroianu, Junona

2015-01-01

We recently determined that the nuclear import of cutaneous beta genus HPV8 E7 oncoprotein it is mediated by its zinc-binding domain via direct hydrophobic interactions with the FG nucleoporins Nup62 and Nup153 (Onder and Moroianu, 2014). Here we investigated the nuclear export of HPV8 E7 oncoprotein using confocal microscopy after transfections of HeLa cells with EGFP-8cE7 and mutant plasmids and treatment with Ratjadone A nuclear export inhibitor. We determined that HPV8 E7 contains a leucine-rich nuclear export signal (NES), 76IRTFQELLF84, within its zinc-binding domain that mediates its nuclear export via a CRM1 pathway. We found that HPV8 E7 interacts with CRM1 and that the hydrophobic amino acid residues I76, F79 and L82 of the NES are essential for this interaction and for nuclear export of HPV8 E7 oncoprotein. Copyright © 2014 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

Cold-nuclear-matter effects on heavy-quark production at forward and backward rapidity in d + Au collisions at √sNN = 200  GeV.

PubMed

Adare, A; Aidala, C; Ajitanand, N N; Akiba, Y; Akimoto, R; Al-Bataineh, H; Al-Ta'ani, H; Alexander, J; Andrews, K R; Angerami, A; Aoki, K; Apadula, N; Appelt, E; Aramaki, Y; Armendariz, R; Aschenauer, E C; Atomssa, E T; Averbeck, R; Awes, T C; Azmoun, B; Babintsev, V; Bai, M; Baksay, G; Baksay, L; Bannier, B; Barish, K N; Bassalleck, B; Basye, A T; Bathe, S; Baublis, V; Baumann, C; Bazilevsky, A; Belikov, S; Belmont, R; Ben-Benjamin, J; Bennett, R; Bhom, J H; Blau, D S; Bok, J S; Boyle, K; Brooks, M L; Broxmeyer, D; Buesching, H; Bumazhnov, V; Bunce, G; Butsyk, S; Campbell, S; Caringi, A; Castera, P; Chen, C-H; Chi, C Y; Chiu, M; Choi, I J; Choi, J B; Choudhury, R K; Christiansen, P; Chujo, T; Chung, P; Chvala, O; Cianciolo, V; Citron, Z; Cole, B A; Conesa Del Valle, Z; Connors, M; Csanád, M; Csörgő, T; Dahms, T; Dairaku, S; Danchev, I; Das, K; Datta, A; David, G; Dayananda, M K; Denisov, A; Deshpande, A; Desmond, E J; Dharmawardane, K V; Dietzsch, O; Dion, A; Donadelli, M; Drapier, O; Drees, A; Drees, K A; Durham, J M; Durum, A; Dutta, D; D'Orazio, L; Edwards, S; Efremenko, Y V; Ellinghaus, F; Engelmore, T; Enokizono, A; En'yo, H; Esumi, S; Fadem, B; Fields, D E; Finger, M; Finger, M; Fleuret, F; Fokin, S L; Fraenkel, Z; Frantz, J E; Franz, A; Frawley, A D; Fujiwara, K; Fukao, Y; Fusayasu, T; Gal, C; Garishvili, I; Glenn, A; Gong, H; Gong, X; Gonin, M; Goto, Y; Granier de Cassagnac, R; Grau, N; Greene, S V; Grim, G; Grosse Perdekamp, M; Gunji, T; Guo, L; Gustafsson, H-Å; Haggerty, J S; Hahn, K I; Hamagaki, H; Hamblen, J; Han, R; Hanks, J; Harper, C; Hashimoto, K; Haslum, E; Hayano, R; He, X; Heffner, M; Hemmick, T K; Hester, T; Hill, J C; Hohlmann, M; Hollis, R S; Holzmann, W; Homma, K; Hong, B; Horaguchi, T; Hori, Y; Hornback, D; Huang, S; Ichihara, T; Ichimiya, R; Iinuma, H; Ikeda, Y; Imai, K; Inaba, M; Iordanova, A; Isenhower, D; Ishihara, M; Issah, M; Ivanischev, D; Iwanaga, Y; Jacak, B V; Jia, J; Jiang, X; Jin, J; John, D; Johnson, B M; Jones, T; Joo, K S; Jouan, D; Jumper, D S; Kajihara, F; Kamin, J; Kaneti, S; Kang, B H; Kang, J H; Kang, J S; Kapustinsky, J; Karatsu, K; Kasai, M; Kawall, D; Kawashima, M; Kazantsev, A V; Kempel, T; Khanzadeev, A; Kijima, K M; Kikuchi, J; Kim, A; Kim, B I; Kim, D J; Kim, E-J; Kim, Y-J; Kim, Y K; Kinney, E; Kiss, A; Kistenev, E; Kleinjan, D; Kline, P; Kochenda, L; Komkov, B; Konno, M; Koster, J; Kotov, D; Král, A; Kravitz, A; Kunde, G J; Kurita, K; Kurosawa, M; Kwon, Y; Kyle, G S; Lacey, R; Lai, Y S; Lajoie, J G; Lebedev, A; Lee, D M; Lee, J; Lee, K B; Lee, K S; Lee, S H; Lee, S R; Leitch, M J; Leite, M A L; Li, X; Lichtenwalner, P; Liebing, P; Lim, S H; Linden Levy, L A; Liška, T; Liu, H; Liu, M X; Love, B; Lynch, D; Maguire, C F; Makdisi, Y I; Malik, M D; Manion, A; Manko, V I; Mannel, E; Mao, Y; Masui, H; Matathias, F; McCumber, M; McGaughey, P L; McGlinchey, D; McKinney, C; Means, N; Mendoza, M; Meredith, B; Miake, Y; Mibe, T; Mignerey, A C; Miki, K; Milov, A; Mitchell, J T; Miyachi, Y; Mohanty, A K; Moon, H J; Morino, Y; Morreale, A; Morrison, D P; Motschwiller, S; Moukhanova, T V; Murakami, T; Murata, J; Nagamiya, S; Nagle, J L; Naglis, M; Nagy, M I; Nakagawa, I; Nakamiya, Y; Nakamura, K R; Nakamura, T; Nakano, K; Nam, S; Newby, J; Nguyen, M; Nihashi, M; Nouicer, R; Nyanin, A S; Oakley, C; O'Brien, E; Oda, S X; Ogilvie, C A; Oka, M; Okada, K; Onuki, Y; Oskarsson, A; Ouchida, M; Ozawa, K; Pak, R; Pantuev, V; Papavassiliou, V; Park, B H; Park, I H; Park, S K; Park, W J; Pate, S F; Patel, L; Pei, H; Peng, J-C; Pereira, H; Peressounko, D Yu; Petti, R; Pinkenburg, C; Pisani, R P; Proissl, M; Purschke, M L; Qu, H; Rak, J; Ravinovich, I; Read, K F; Rembeczki, S; Reygers, K; Riabov, V; Riabov, Y; Richardson, E; Roach, D; Roche, G; Rolnick, S D; Rosati, M; Rosen, C A; Rosendahl, S S E; Ružička, P; Sahlmueller, B; Saito, N; Sakaguchi, T; Sakashita, K; Samsonov, V; Sano, S; Sarsour, M; Sato, T; Savastio, M; Sawada, S; Sedgwick, K; Seele, J; Seidl, R; Seto, R; Sharma, D; Shein, I; Shibata, T-A; Shigaki, K; Shim, H H; Shimomura, M; Shoji, K; Shukla, P; Sickles, A; Silva, C L; Silvermyr, D; Silvestre, C; Sim, K S; Singh, B K; Singh, C P; Singh, V; Slunečka, M; Sodre, T; Soltz, R A; Sondheim, W E; Sorensen, S P; Sourikova, I V; Stankus, P W; Stenlund, E; Stoll, S P; Sugitate, T; Sukhanov, A; Sun, J; Sziklai, J; Takagui, E M; Takahara, A; Taketani, A; Tanabe, R; Tanaka, Y; Taneja, S; Tanida, K; Tannenbaum, M J; Tarafdar, S; Taranenko, A; Tennant, E; Themann, H; Thomas, D; Thomas, T L; Togawa, M; Toia, A; Tomášek, L; Tomášek, M; Torii, H; Towell, R S; Tserruya, I; Tsuchimoto, Y; Utsunomiya, K; Vale, C; Valle, H; van Hecke, H W; Vazquez-Zambrano, E; Veicht, A; Velkovska, J; Vértesi, R; Virius, M; Vossen, A; Vrba, V; Vznuzdaev, E; Wang, X R; Watanabe, D; Watanabe, K; Watanabe, Y; Watanabe, Y S; Wei, F; Wei, R; Wessels, J; White, S N; Winter, D; Woody, C L; Wright, R M; Wysocki, M; Yamaguchi, Y L; Yamaura, K; Yang, R; Yanovich, A; Ying, J; Yokkaichi, S; Yoo, J S; You, Z; Young, G R; Younus, I; Yushmanov, I E; Zajc, W A; Zelenski, A; Zhou, S

2014-06-27

The PHENIX experiment has measured open heavy-flavor production via semileptonic decay over the transverse momentum range 1 < p(T) < 6  GeV/c at forward and backward rapidity (1.4 < |y| < 2.0) in d+Au and p + p collisions at √sNN = 200  GeV. In central d+Au collisions, relative to the yield in p + p collisions scaled by the number of binary nucleon-nucleon collisions, a suppression is observed at forward rapidity (in the d-going direction) and an enhancement at backward rapidity (in the Au-going direction). Predictions using nuclear-modified-parton-distribution functions, even with additional nuclear-p(T) broadening, cannot simultaneously reproduce the data at both rapidity ranges, which implies that these models are incomplete and suggests the possible importance of final-state interactions in the asymmetric d + Au collision system. These results can be used to probe cold-nuclear-matter effects, which may significantly affect heavy-quark production, in addition to helping constrain the magnitude of charmonia-breakup effects in nuclear matter.

Unified ab initio approaches to nuclear structure and reactions

DOE PAGES

Navratil, Petr; Quaglioni, Sofia; Hupin, Guillaume; ...

2016-04-13

The description of nuclei starting from the constituent nucleons and the realistic interactions among them has been a long-standing goal in nuclear physics. In addition to the complex nature of the nuclear forces, with two-, three- and possibly higher many-nucleon components, one faces the quantum-mechanical many-nucleon problem governed by an interplay between bound and continuum states. In recent years, significant progress has been made in ab initio nuclear structure and reaction calculations based on input from QCD-employing Hamiltonians constructed within chiral effective field theory. After a brief overview of the field, we focus on ab initio many-body approaches—built upon the no-core shell model—that are capable of simultaneously describing both bound and scattering nuclear states, and present results for resonances in light nuclei, reactions important for astrophysics and fusion research. In particular, we review recent calculations of resonances in the 6He halo nucleus, of five- and six-nucleon scattering, and an investigation of the role of chiral three-nucleon interactions in the structure of 9Be. Further, we discuss applications to the 7Bemore » $${({\\rm{p}},\\gamma )}^{8}{\\rm{B}}$$ radiative capture. Lastly, we highlight our efforts to describe transfer reactions including the 3H$${({\\rm{d}},{\\rm{n}})}^{4}$$He fusion.« less

In vitro modulation of the interaction between HA95 and LAP2beta by cAMP signaling.

PubMed

Martins, Sandra B; Marstad, Anne; Collas, Philippe

2003-09-09

The nuclear envelope mediates key functions by interacting with chromatin. We recently reported an interaction between the chromatin- and nuclear matrix-associated protein HA95 and the inner nuclear membrane integral protein LAP2beta, implicated in initiation of DNA replication (Martins et al. (2003) J. Cell Biol. 160, 177-188). Here, we show that in vitro, interaction between HA95 and LAP2beta is modulated by cAMP signaling via PKA. Exposure of an anti-HA95 immune precipitate from interphase HeLa cells to a mitotic extract promotes ATP-dependent release of LAP2beta from the HA95 complex. This coincides with Ser and Thr phosphorylation of HA95 and LAP2beta. Inhibition of PKA with PKI abolishes phosphorylation of HA95 and dissociation of LAP2beta from HA95, although LAPbeta remains phosphorylated. Antagonizing cAMP signaling in mitotic extract also abolishes the release of LAP2beta from HA95; however, disrupting PKA anchoring to A-kinase anchoring proteins has no effect. Inhibition of CDK activity in the extract greatly reduces LAP2beta phosphorylation but does not prevent LAP2beta release from HA95. Inhibition of PKC, MAP kinase, or CaM kinase II does not affect mitotic extract-induced dissociation of LAP2beta from HA95. PKA phosphorylates HA95 but not LAP2beta in vitro and elicits a release of LAP2beta from HA95. CDK1 or PKC phosphorylates LAP2beta within the HA95 complex, but neither kinase induces LAP2beta release. Our results indicate that in vitro, the interaction between HA95 and LAP2beta is influenced by a PKA-mediated phosphorylation of HA95 rather than by CDK1- or PKC-mediated phosphorylation of LAP2beta. This suggests an additional level of regulation of a chromatin-nuclear envelope interaction in dividing cells.

Projectile fragmentation of 500 A MeV 56Fe in nuclear emulsion

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Li, Jun-Sheng; Zhang, Dong-Hai; Li, Hui-Ling; Yasuda, N.

2013-07-01

N-4 stacks of nuclear emulsion were exposed to 500 A MeV 56Fe ions at the HIMAC NIRS. Particle production was investigated in 56Fe-Em interactions. The multiplicity distribution of projectile fragments was done in this paper and compared with interactions induced by 56Fe and other heavy ions in nuclear emulsion at other energies. The variation of characteristics of the heavy ion interactions with the mass and energy of the projectile is studied.

Low-energy cosmic ray protons from nuclear interactions of cosmic rays with the interstellar medium.

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Wang, H. T.

1973-01-01

The intensity of low-energy (less than 100 MeV) protons from nuclear interactions of higher-energy (above 100 MeV) cosmic rays with the interstellar medium is calculated. The resultant intensity in the 10- to 100-MeV range is larger by a factor of 3-5 than the observed proton intensity near earth. The calculated intensity from nuclear interactions constitutes a lower limit on the actual proton intensity in interstellar space.

Manned space flight nuclear system safety. Volume 1: base nuclear system safety

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

1972-01-01

The mission and terrestrial nuclear safety aspects of future long duration manned space missions in low earth orbit are discussed. Nuclear hazards of a typical low earth orbit Space Base mission (from natural sources and on-board nuclear hardware) have been identified and evaluated. Some of the principal nuclear safety design and procedural considerations involved in launch, orbital, and end of mission operations are presented. Areas of investigation include radiation interactions with the crew, subsystems, facilities, experiments, film, interfacing vehicles, nuclear hardware and the terrestrial populace. Results of the analysis indicate: (1) the natural space environment can be the dominant radiation source in a low earth orbit where reactors are effectively shielded, (2) with implementation of safety guidelines the reactor can present a low risk to the crew, support personnel, the terrestrial populace, flight hardware and the mission, (3) ten year missions are feasible without exceeding integrated radiation limits assigned to flight hardware, and (4) crew stay-times up to one year are feasible without storm shelter provisions.

Transient nutation electron spin resonance spectroscopy on spin-correlated radical pairs: A theoretical analysis on hyperfine-induced nuclear modulations

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Weber, Stefan; Kothe, Gerd; Norris, James R.

1997-04-01

The influence of anisotropic hyperfine interaction on transient nutation electron paramagnetic resonance (EPR) of light-induced spin-correlated radical pairs is studied theoretically using the density operator formalism. Analytical expressions for the time evolution of the transient EPR signal during selective microwave excitation of single transitions are derived for a model system comprised of a weakly coupled radical pair and one hyperfine-coupled nucleus with I=1/2. Zero-quantum electron coherence and single-quantum nuclear coherence are created as a result of the sudden light-induced generation of the radical pair state from a singlet-state precursor. Depending on the relative sizes of the nuclear Zeeman frequency and the secular and pseudo-secular parts of the hyperfine coupling, transitions between levels with different nuclear spin orientations are predicted to modulate the time-dependent EPR signal. These modulations are in addition to the well-known transient nutations and electron zero-quantum precessions. Our calculations provide insight into the mechanism of recent experimental observations of coherent nuclear modulations in the time-resolved EPR signals of doublets and radical pairs. Two distinct mechanisms of the modulations are presented for various microwave magnetic field strengths. The first modulation scheme arises from electron and nuclear coherences initiated by the laser excitation pulse and is "read out" by the weak microwave magnetic field. While the relative modulation depth of these oscillations with respect to the signal intensity is independent of the Rabi frequency, ω1, the frequencies of this coherence phenomenon are modulated by the effective microwave amplitude and determined by the nuclear Zeeman interaction and hyperfine coupling constants as well as the electron-electron spin exchange and dipolar interactions between the two radical pair halves. In a second mechanism the modulations are both created and detected by the microwave radiation. Here, the laser pulse merely defines the beginning of the microwave-induced coherent time evolution. This second mechanism appears the most consistent with current experimental observations.

The Red Queen in mitochondria: cyto-nuclear co-evolution, hybrid breakdown and human disease

PubMed Central

Chou, Jui-Yu; Leu, Jun-Yi

2015-01-01

Cyto-nuclear incompatibility, a specific form of Dobzhansky-Muller incompatibility caused by incompatible alleles between mitochondrial and nuclear genomes, has been suggested to play a critical role during speciation. Several features of the mitochondrial genome (mtDNA), including high mutation rate, dynamic genomic structure, and uniparental inheritance, make mtDNA more likely to accumulate mutations in the population. Once mtDNA has changed, the nuclear genome needs to play catch-up due to the intimate interactions between these two genomes. In two populations, if cyto-nuclear co-evolution is driven in different directions, it may eventually lead to hybrid incompatibility. Although cyto-nuclear incompatibility has been observed in a wide range of organisms, it remains unclear what type of mutations drives the co-evolution. Currently, evidence supporting adaptive mutations in mtDNA remains limited. On the other hand, it has been known that some mutations allow mtDNA to propagate more efficiently but compromise the host fitness (described as selfish mtDNA). Arms races between such selfish mtDNA and host nuclear genomes can accelerate cyto-nuclear co-evolution and lead to a phenomenon called the Red Queen Effect. Here, we discuss how the Red Queen Effect may contribute to the frequent observation of cyto-nuclear incompatibility and be the underlying driving force of some human mitochondrial diseases. PMID:26042149

Neutron-proton effective mass splitting in neutron-rich matter and its impacts on nuclear reactions

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Li, Bao-An; Chen, Lie-Wen

2015-04-01

The neutron-proton effective mass splitting in neutron-rich nucleonic matter reflects the spacetime nonlocality of the isovector nuclear interaction. It affects the neutron/proton ratio during the earlier evolution of the Universe, cooling of proto-neutron stars, structure of rare isotopes and dynamics of heavy-ion collisions. While there is still no consensus on whether the neutron-proton effective mass splitting is negative, zero or positive and how it depends on the density as well as the isospin-asymmetry of the medium, significant progress has been made in recent years in addressing these issues. There are different kinds of nucleon effective masses. In this mini-review, we focus on the total effective masses often used in the non-relativistic description of nuclear dynamics. We first recall the connections among the neutron-proton effective mass splitting, the momentum dependence of the isovector potential and the density dependence of the symmetry energy. We then make a few observations about the progress in calculating the neutron-proton effective mass splitting using various nuclear many-body theories and its effects on the isospin-dependence of in-medium nucleon-nucleon cross-sections. Perhaps, our most reliable knowledge so far about the neutron-proton effective mass splitting at saturation density of nuclear matter comes from optical model analyses of huge sets of nucleon-nucleus scattering data accumulated over the last five decades. The momentum dependence of the symmetry potential from these analyses provide a useful boundary condition at saturation density for calibrating nuclear many-body calculations. Several observables in heavy-ion collisions have been identified as sensitive probes of the neutron-proton effective mass splitting in dense neutron-rich matter based on transport model simulations. We review these observables and comment on the latest experimental findings.

Accelerating nuclear configuration interaction calculations through a preconditioned block iterative eigensolver

DOE PAGES

Shao, Meiyue; Aktulga, H.  Metin; Yang, Chao; ...

2017-09-14

In this paper, we describe a number of recently developed techniques for improving the performance of large-scale nuclear configuration interaction calculations on high performance parallel computers. We show the benefit of using a preconditioned block iterative method to replace the Lanczos algorithm that has traditionally been used to perform this type of computation. The rapid convergence of the block iterative method is achieved by a proper choice of starting guesses of the eigenvectors and the construction of an effective preconditioner. These acceleration techniques take advantage of special structure of the nuclear configuration interaction problem which we discuss in detail. Themore » use of a block method also allows us to improve the concurrency of the computation, and take advantage of the memory hierarchy of modern microprocessors to increase the arithmetic intensity of the computation relative to data movement. Finally, we also discuss the implementation details that are critical to achieving high performance on massively parallel multi-core supercomputers, and demonstrate that the new block iterative solver is two to three times faster than the Lanczos based algorithm for problems of moderate sizes on a Cray XC30 system.« less

Small-Molecule Hormones: Molecular Mechanisms of Action

PubMed Central

Budzińska, Monika

2013-01-01

Small-molecule hormones play crucial roles in the development and in the maintenance of an adult mammalian organism. On the molecular level, they regulate a plethora of biological pathways. Part of their actions depends on their transcription-regulating properties, exerted by highly specific nuclear receptors which are hormone-dependent transcription factors. Nuclear hormone receptors interact with coactivators, corepressors, basal transcription factors, and other transcription factors in order to modulate the activity of target genes in a manner that is dependent on tissue, age and developmental and pathophysiological states. The biological effect of this mechanism becomes apparent not earlier than 30–60 minutes after hormonal stimulus. In addition, small-molecule hormones modify the function of the cell by a number of nongenomic mechanisms, involving interaction with proteins localized in the plasma membrane, in the cytoplasm, as well as with proteins localized in other cellular membranes and in nonnuclear cellular compartments. The identity of such proteins is still under investigation; however, it seems that extranuclear fractions of nuclear hormone receptors commonly serve this function. A direct interaction of small-molecule hormones with membrane phospholipids and with mRNA is also postulated. In these mechanisms, the reaction to hormonal stimulus appears within seconds or minutes. PMID:23533406

Accelerating nuclear configuration interaction calculations through a preconditioned block iterative eigensolver

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Shao, Meiyue; Aktulga, H.  Metin; Yang, Chao

In this paper, we describe a number of recently developed techniques for improving the performance of large-scale nuclear configuration interaction calculations on high performance parallel computers. We show the benefit of using a preconditioned block iterative method to replace the Lanczos algorithm that has traditionally been used to perform this type of computation. The rapid convergence of the block iterative method is achieved by a proper choice of starting guesses of the eigenvectors and the construction of an effective preconditioner. These acceleration techniques take advantage of special structure of the nuclear configuration interaction problem which we discuss in detail. Themore » use of a block method also allows us to improve the concurrency of the computation, and take advantage of the memory hierarchy of modern microprocessors to increase the arithmetic intensity of the computation relative to data movement. Finally, we also discuss the implementation details that are critical to achieving high performance on massively parallel multi-core supercomputers, and demonstrate that the new block iterative solver is two to three times faster than the Lanczos based algorithm for problems of moderate sizes on a Cray XC30 system.« less

Experimental determination of torsion angles in the polypeptide backbone of the gramicidin A channel by solid state nuclear magnetic resonance.

PubMed

Teng, Q; Nicholson, L K; Cross, T A

1991-04-05

An analytical method for the determination of torsion angles from solid state 15N nuclear magnetic resonance (n.m.r.) spectroscopic data is demonstrated. Advantage is taken of the 15N-1H and 15N-13C dipolar interactions as well as the 15N chemical shift interaction in oriented samples. The membrane-bound channel conformation of gramicidin A has eluded an atomic resolution structure determination by more traditional approaches. Here, the torsion angles for the Ala3 site are determined by obtaining the n.m.r. data for both the Gly2-Ala3 and Ala3-Leu4 peptide linkages. Complete utilization of the orientational constraints derived from these orientation-dependent nuclear spin interactions in restricting the conformational space is most effectively achieved by utilizing spherical trigonometry. Two possible sets of torsion angles for the Ala3 site are obtained (phi, psi = -129 degrees, 153 degrees and -129 degrees, 122 degrees), both of which are consistent with a right-handed beta-helix. Other functional and computational evidence strongly supports the set for which the carbonyl oxygen atom of the Ala3-Leu4 linkage is rotated into the channel lumen.

1986 Annual Conference on Nuclear and Space Radiation Effects, 23rd, Providence, RI, July 21-23, 1986, Proceedings

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Ellis, Thomas D. (Editor)

1986-01-01

The present conference on the effects of nuclear and space radiation on electronic hardware gives attention to topics in the basic mechanisms of radiation effects, dosimetry and energy-dependent effects, electronic device radiation hardness assurance, SOI/SOS radiation effects, spacecraft charging and space radiation, IC radiation effects and hardening, single-event upset (SEU) phenomena and hardening, and EMP/SGEMP/IEMP phenomena. Specific treatments encompass the generation of interface states by ionizing radiation in very thin MOS oxides, the microdosimetry of meson energy deposited on 1-micron sites in Si, total dose radiation and engineering studies, plasma interactions with biased concentrator solar cells, the transient imprint memory effect in MOS memories, mechanisms leading to SEU, and the vaporization and breakdown of thin columns of water.

Nuclear localization of the dystrophin-associated protein α-dystrobrevin through importin α2/β1 is critical for interaction with the nuclear lamina/maintenance of nuclear integrity.

PubMed

Aguilar, Areli; Wagstaff, Kylie M; Suárez-Sánchez, Rocío; Zinker, Samuel; Jans, David A; Cisneros, Bulmaro

2015-05-01

Although α-dystrobrevin (DB) is assembled into the dystrophin-associated protein complex, which is central to cytoskeletal organization, it has also been found in the nucleus. Here we delineate the nuclear import pathway responsible for nuclear targeting of α-DB for the first time, together with the importance of nuclear α-DB in determining nuclear morphology. We map key residues of the nuclear localization signal of α-DB within the zinc finger domain (ZZ) using various truncated versions of the protein, and site-directed mutagenesis. Pulldown, immunoprecipitation, and AlphaScreen assays showed that the importin (IMP) α2/β1 heterodimer interacts with high affinity with the ZZ domain of α-DB. In vitro nuclear import assays using antibodies to specific importins, as well as in vivo studies using siRNA or a dominant negative importin construct, confirmed the key role of IMPα2/β1 in α-DB nuclear translocation. Knockdown of α-DB expression perturbed cell cycle progression in C2C12 myoblasts, with decreased accumulation of cells in S phase and, significantly, altered localization of lamins A/C, B1, and B2 with accompanying gross nuclear morphology defects. Because α-DB interacts specifically with lamin B1 in vivo and in vitro, nuclear α-DB would appear to play a key role in nuclear shape maintenance through association with the nuclear lamina. © FASEB.

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Yoshikatsu, Yuki; Ishida, Yo-ichi; Sudo, Haruka

Nuclear VCP-like 2 (NVL2) is a member of the chaperone-like AAA-ATPase family and is involved in the biosynthesis of 60S ribosomal subunits in mammalian cells. We previously showed the interaction of NVL2 with a DExD/H-box RNA helicase MTR4/DOB1, which is a known cofactor for an exoribonuclease complex, the exosome. This finding implicated NVL2 in RNA metabolic processes during ribosome biogenesis. In the present study, we found that a series of mutations within the ATPase domain of NVL2 causes a defect in pre-rRNA processing into mature 28S and 5.8S rRNAs. Co-immunoprecipitation analysis showed that NVL2 was associated with the nuclear exosomemore » complex, which includes RRP6 as a nucleus-specific catalytic subunit. This interaction was prevented by depleting either MTR4 or RRP6, indicating their essential role in mediating this interaction with NVL2. Additionally, knockdown of MPP6, another cofactor for the nuclear exosome, also prevented the interaction by causing MTR4 to dissociate from the nuclear exosome. These results suggest that NVL2 is involved in pre-rRNA processing by associating with the nuclear exosome complex and that MPP6 is required for maintaining the integrity of this rRNA processing complex. - Highlights: • ATPase-deficient mutants of NVL2 have decreased pre-rRNA processing. • NVL2 associates with the nuclear exosome through interactions with MTR4 and RRP6. • MPP6 stabilizes MTR4-RRP6 interaction and allows NVL2 to interact with the complex.« less

Importance of Nuclear Physics to NASA's Space Missions

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Tripathi, R. K.; Wilson, J. W.; Cucinotta, F. A.

2001-01-01

We show that nuclear physics is extremely important for accurate risk assessments for space missions. Due to paucity of experimental input radiation interaction information it is imperative to develop reliable accurate models for the interaction of radiation with matter. State-of-the-art nuclear cross sections models have been developed at the NASA Langley Research center and are discussed.

The nuclear matrix prepared by amine modification

PubMed Central

Wan, Katherine M.; Nickerson, Jeffrey A.; Krockmalnic, Gabriela; Penman, Sheldon

1999-01-01

The nucleus is spatially ordered by attachments to a nonchromatin nuclear structure, the nuclear matrix. The nuclear matrix and chromatin are intimately connected and integrated structures, and so a major technical challenge in nuclear matrix research has been to remove chromatin while retaining a native nuclear matrix. Most methods for removing chromatin require first a nuclease digestion and then a salt extraction to remove cut chromatin. We have hypothesized that cut chromatin is held in place by charge interactions involving nucleosomal amino groups. We have tested this hypothesis by chemically modifying amino groups after nuclease digestion. By using this protocol, chromatin could be effectively removed at physiological ionic strength. We compared the ultrastructure and composition of this nuclear matrix preparation with the traditional high-salt nuclear matrix and with the third nuclear matrix preparation that we have developed from which chromatin is removed after extensive crosslinking. All three matrix preparations reveal internal nuclear matrix structures that are built on a network of branched filaments of about 10 nm diameter. That such different chromatin-removal protocols reveal similar principles of nuclear matrix construction increases our confidence that we are observing important architectural elements of the native structure in the living cell. PMID:9927671

Calcium accelerates SNARE-mediated lipid mixing through modulating α-synuclein membrane interaction.

PubMed

Zhang, Zeting; Jiang, Xin; Xu, Danrui; Zheng, Wenwen; Liu, Maili; Li, Conggang

2018-04-04

α-Synuclein is involved in Parkinson's disease, and its interaction with cell membrane is vital to its pathological and physiological functions. We have shown that Ca 2+ can regulate α-synuclein membrane interaction, but the physiological role of Ca 2+ in modulating α-synuclein membrane interaction is still unexplored. Based on the previous findings that α-synuclein inhibits membrane fusion and its inhibitory effect is highly related to its membrane binding, here we employed solution state Nuclear Magnetic Resonance (NMR) spectroscopy and the ensemble fluorescence fusion assay to show that Ca 2+ can modulate the inhibitory effect of α-synuclein on SNARE-mediated membrane fusion through disrupting α-synuclein membrane interaction, resulting in acceleration of SNARE-mediated membrane fusion. These results suggest a modulatory effect of Ca 2+ on membrane mediated normal function of α-synuclein, which of importance for the study of the Parkinson's disease. Copyright © 2018 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

Double β-decay nuclear matrix elements for the A=48 and A=58 systems

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Skouras, L. D.; Vergados, J. D.

1983-11-01

The nuclear matrix elements entering the double β decays of the 48Ca-48Ti and 58Ni-58Fe systems have been calculated using a realistic two nucleon interaction and realistic shell model spaces. Effective transition operators corresponding to a variety of gauge theory models have been considered. The stability of such matrix elements against variations of the nuclear parameters is examined. Appropriate lepton violating parameters are extracted from the A=48 data and predictions are made for the lifetimes of the positron decays of the A=58 system. RADIOACTIVITY Double β decay. Gauge theories. Lepton nonconservation. Neutrino mass. Shell model calculations.

Nuclear Symmetry Energy and the Breaking of the Isospin Symmetry: How Do They Reconcile with Each Other?

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Roca-Maza, X.; Colò, G.; Sagawa, H.

2018-05-01

We analyze and propose a solution to the apparent inconsistency between our current knowledge of the equation of state of asymmetric nuclear matter, the energy of the isobaric analog state (IAS) in a heavy nucleus such as 208Pb, and the isospin symmetry breaking forces in the nuclear medium. This is achieved by performing state-of-the-art Hartree-Fock plus random phase approximation calculations of the IAS that include all isospin symmetry breaking contributions. To this aim, we propose a new effective interaction that is successful in reproducing the IAS excitation energy without compromising other properties of finite nuclei.

Quantum entanglement analysis of an optically excited coupling of two nuclear spins via a mediator: Combining the quantum concurrence and negativity

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Fu, Chenghua; Hu, Zhanning

2018-03-01

In this paper, we investigate the characteristics of the nuclear spin entanglement generated by an intermedium with an optically excited triplet. Significantly, the interaction between the two nuclear spins presents to be a direct XY coupling in each of the effective subspace Hamiltonians which are obtained by applying a transformation on the natural Hamiltonian. The quantum concurrence and negativity are discussed to quantitatively describe the quantum entanglement, and a comparison between them can reveal the nature of their relationship. An innovative general equation describing the relationship between the concurrence and negativity is explicitly obtained.

Nuclear Symmetry Energy and the Breaking of the Isospin Symmetry: How Do They Reconcile with Each Other?

PubMed

Roca-Maza, X; Colò, G; Sagawa, H

2018-05-18

We analyze and propose a solution to the apparent inconsistency between our current knowledge of the equation of state of asymmetric nuclear matter, the energy of the isobaric analog state (IAS) in a heavy nucleus such as ^{208}Pb, and the isospin symmetry breaking forces in the nuclear medium. This is achieved by performing state-of-the-art Hartree-Fock plus random phase approximation calculations of the IAS that include all isospin symmetry breaking contributions. To this aim, we propose a new effective interaction that is successful in reproducing the IAS excitation energy without compromising other properties of finite nuclei.

Photons in dense nuclear matter: Random-phase approximation

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Stetina, Stephan; Rrapaj, Ermal; Reddy, Sanjay

2018-04-01

We present a comprehensive and pedagogic discussion of the properties of photons in cold and dense nuclear matter based on the resummed one-loop photon self-energy. Correlations among electrons, muons, protons, and neutrons in β equilibrium that arise as a result of electromagnetic and strong interactions are consistently taken into account within the random phase approximation. Screening effects, damping, and collective excitations are systematically studied in a fully relativistic setup. Our study is relevant to the linear response theory of dense nuclear matter, calculations of transport properties of cold dense matter, and investigations of the production and propagation of hypothetical vector bosons such as the dark photons.

An Interaction between KSHV ORF57 and UIF Provides mRNA-Adaptor Redundancy in Herpesvirus Intronless mRNA Export

PubMed Central

Jackson, Brian R.; Boyne, James R.; Noerenberg, Marko; Taylor, Adam; Hautbergue, Guillaume M.; Walsh, Matthew J.; Wheat, Rachel; Blackbourn, David J.; Wilson, Stuart A.; Whitehouse, Adrian

2011-01-01

The hTREX complex mediates cellular bulk mRNA nuclear export by recruiting the nuclear export factor, TAP, via a direct interaction with the export adaptor, Aly. Intriguingly however, depletion of Aly only leads to a modest reduction in cellular mRNA nuclear export, suggesting the existence of additional mRNA nuclear export adaptor proteins. In order to efficiently export Kaposi's sarcoma-associated herpesvirus (KSHV) intronless mRNAs from the nucleus, the KSHV ORF57 protein recruits hTREX onto viral intronless mRNAs allowing access to the TAP-mediated export pathway. Similarly however, depletion of Aly only leads to a modest reduction in the nuclear export of KSHV intronless mRNAs. Herein, we identify a novel interaction between ORF57 and the cellular protein, UIF. We provide the first evidence that the ORF57-UIF interaction enables the recruitment of hTREX and TAP to KSHV intronless mRNAs in Aly-depleted cells. Strikingly, depletion of both Aly and UIF inhibits the formation of an ORF57-mediated nuclear export competent ribonucleoprotein particle and consequently prevents ORF57-mediated mRNA nuclear export and KSHV protein production. Importantly, these findings highlight that redundancy exists in the eukaryotic system for certain hTREX components involved in the mRNA nuclear export of intronless KSHV mRNAs. PMID:21814512

SIRT1 interacts with and protects glyceraldehyde-3-phosphate dehydrogenase (GAPDH) from nuclear translocation: Implications for cell survival after irradiation

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Joo, Hyun-Yoo; Laboratory of Biochemistry, School of Life Sciences and Biotechnology, Korea University, Seoul 136-713; Woo, Seon Rang

2012-08-10

Highlights: Black-Right-Pointing-Pointer SIRT1 serves to retain GAPDH in the cytosol, preventing GAPDH nuclear translocation. Black-Right-Pointing-Pointer When SIRT1 is depleted, GAPDH translocation occurs even in the absence of stress. Black-Right-Pointing-Pointer Upon irradiation, SIRT1 interacts with GAPDH. Black-Right-Pointing-Pointer SIRT1 prevents irradiation-induced nuclear translocation of GAPDH. Black-Right-Pointing-Pointer SIRT1 presence rather than activity is essential for inhibiting GAPDH translocation. -- Abstract: Upon apoptotic stimulation, glyceraldehyde-3-phosphate dehydrogenase (GAPDH), a cytosolic enzyme normally active in glycolysis, translocates into the nucleus and activates an apoptotic cascade therein. In the present work, we show that SIRT1 prevents nuclear translocation of GAPDH via interaction with GAPDH. SIRT1 depletion triggeredmore » nuclear translocation of cytosolic GAPDH even in the absence of apoptotic stress. Such translocation was not, however, observed when SIRT1 enzymatic activity was inhibited, indicating that SIRT1 protein per se, rather than the deacetylase activity of the protein, is required to inhibit GAPDH translocation. Upon irradiation, SIRT1 prevented irradiation-induced nuclear translocation of GAPDH, accompanied by interaction of SIRT1 and GAPDH. Thus, SIRT1 functions to retain GAPDH in the cytosol, protecting the enzyme from nuclear translocation via interaction with these two proteins. This serves as a mechanism whereby SIRT1 regulates cell survival upon induction of apoptotic stress by means that include irradiation.« less

Theoretical study on the charge transport in single crystals of TCNQ, F2-TCNQ and F4-TCNQ.

PubMed

Ji, Li-Fei; Fan, Jian-Xun; Zhang, Shou-Feng; Ren, Ai-Min

2018-01-31

2,5-Difluoro-7,7,8,8-tetracyanoquinodimethane (F 2 -TCNQ) was recently reported to display excellent electron transport properties in single crystal field-effect transistors (FETs). Its carrier mobility can reach 25 cm 2 V -1 s -1 in devices. However, its counterparts TCNQ and F 4 -TCNQ (tetrafluoro-7,7,8,8-tetracyanoquinodimethane) do not exhibit the same highly efficient behavior. To better understand this significant difference in charge carrier mobility, a multiscale approach combining semiclassical Marcus hopping theory, a quantum nuclear enabled hopping model and molecular dynamics simulations was performed to assess the electron mobilities of the F n -TCNQ (n = 0, 2, 4) systems in this work. The results indicated that the outstanding electron transport behavior of F 2 -TCNQ arises from its effective 3D charge carrier percolation network due to its special packing motif and the nuclear tunneling effect. Moreover, the poor transport properties of TCNQ and F 4 -TCNQ stem from their invalid packing and strong thermal disorder. It was found that Marcus theory underestimated the mobilities for all the systems, while the quantum model with the nuclear tunneling effect provided reasonable results compared to experiments. Moreover, the band-like transport behavior of F 2 -TCNQ was well described by the quantum nuclear enabled hopping model. In addition, quantum theory of atoms in molecules (QTAIM) analysis and symmetry-adapted perturbation theory (SAPT) were used to characterize the intermolecular interactions in TCNQ, F 2 -TCNQ and F 4 -TCNQ crystals. A primary understanding of various noncovalent interaction responses for crystal formation is crucial to understand the structure-property relationships in organic molecular materials.

Promyelocytic leukemia bodies tether to early endosomes during mitosis.

PubMed

Palibrk, Vuk; Lång, Emma; Lång, Anna; Schink, Kay Oliver; Rowe, Alexander D; Bøe, Stig Ove

2014-01-01

During mitosis the nuclear envelope breaks down, leading to potential interactions between cytoplasmic and nuclear components. PML bodies are nuclear structures with tumor suppressor and antiviral functions. Early endosomes, on the other hand, are cytoplasmic vesicles involved in transport and growth factor signaling. Here we demonstrate that PML bodies form stable interactions with early endosomes immediately following entry into mitosis. The 2 compartments remain stably associated throughout mitosis and dissociate in the cytoplasm of newly divided daughter cells. We also show that a minor subset of PML bodies becomes anchored to the mitotic spindle poles during cell division. The study demonstrates a stable mitosis-specific interaction between a cytoplasmic and a nuclear compartment.

The symmetry energy, neutron skin thickness and isovector dipole response of neutron-rich nuclei

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Horvat, A.; Paar, N.

2015-04-01

The isotopic evolution of the relationship between the symmetry energy at saturation density of nuclear matter (J), neutron skin thickness (ΔR) and relevant observables related to isovector dipole excitations in neutron rich 116-136Sn isotopes has been investigated in the framework of relativistic nuclear energy density functional theory. The description employs a family of effective interactions with density dependent meson-nucleon couplings (DDME) spanning the range of values J = 30 - 38 MeV.

Mitochondrial Recombination Reveals Mito-Mito Epistasis in Yeast.

PubMed

Wolters, John F; Charron, Guillaume; Gaspary, Alec; Landry, Christian R; Fiumera, Anthony C; Fiumera, Heather L

2018-05-01

Genetic variation in mitochondrial DNA (mtDNA) provides adaptive potential although the underlying genetic architecture of fitness components within mtDNAs is not known. To dissect functional variation within mtDNAs, we first identified naturally occurring mtDNAs that conferred high or low fitness in Saccharomyces cerevisiae by comparing growth in strains containing identical nuclear genotypes but different mtDNAs. During respiratory growth under temperature and oxidative stress conditions, mitotype effects were largely independent of nuclear genotypes even in the presence of mito-nuclear interactions. Recombinant mtDNAs were generated to determine fitness components within high- and low-fitness mtDNAs. Based on phenotypic distributions of isogenic strains containing recombinant mtDNAs, we found that multiple loci contributed to mitotype fitness differences. These mitochondrial loci interacted in epistatic, nonadditive ways in certain environmental conditions. Mito-mito epistasis ( i.e. , nonadditive interactions between mitochondrial loci) influenced fitness in progeny from four different crosses, suggesting that mito-mito epistasis is a widespread phenomenon in yeast and other systems with recombining mtDNAs. Furthermore, we found that interruption of coadapted mito-mito interactions produced recombinant mtDNAs with lower fitness. Our results demonstrate that mito-mito epistasis results in functional variation through mitochondrial recombination in fungi, providing modes for adaptive evolution and the generation of mito-mito incompatibilities. Copyright © 2018 by the Genetics Society of America.

Interdependence of different symmetry energy elements

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Mondal, C.; Agrawal, B. K.; De, J. N.; Samaddar, S. K.; Centelles, M.; Viñas, X.

2017-08-01

Relations between the nuclear symmetry energy coefficient and its density derivatives are derived. The relations hold for a class of interactions with quadratic momentum dependence and a power-law density dependence. The structural connection between the different symmetry energy elements as obtained seems to be followed by almost all reasonable nuclear energy density functionals, both relativistic and nonrelativistic, suggesting a universality in the correlation structure. This, coupled with known values of some well-accepted constants related to nuclear matter, helps in constraining values of different density derivatives of the nuclear symmetry energy, shedding light on the isovector part of the nuclear interaction.

A Protein Preparation Method for the High-throughput Identification of Proteins Interacting with a Nuclear Cofactor Using LC-MS/MS Analysis.

PubMed

Tsuchiya, Megumi; Karim, M Rezaul; Matsumoto, Taro; Ogawa, Hidesato; Taniguchi, Hiroaki

2017-01-24

Transcriptional coregulators are vital to the efficient transcriptional regulation of nuclear chromatin structure. Coregulators play a variety of roles in regulating transcription. These include the direct interaction with transcription factors, the covalent modification of histones and other proteins, and the occasional chromatin conformation alteration. Accordingly, establishing relatively quick methods for identifying proteins that interact within this network is crucial to enhancing our understanding of the underlying regulatory mechanisms. LC-MS/MS-mediated protein binding partner identification is a validated technique used to analyze protein-protein interactions. By immunoprecipitating a previously-identified member of a protein complex with an antibody (occasionally with an antibody for a tagged protein), it is possible to identify its unknown protein interactions via mass spectrometry analysis. Here, we present a method of protein preparation for the LC-MS/MS-mediated high-throughput identification of protein interactions involving nuclear cofactors and their binding partners. This method allows for a better understanding of the transcriptional regulatory mechanisms of the targeted nuclear factors.

Theoretical study of the hyperfine-interaction constants and the isotope-shift factors for the 3 s21S0-3 s 3 p 3,1P1o transitions in Al+

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Zhang, Tingxian; Xie, Luyou; Li, Jiguang; Lu, Zehuang

2017-07-01

We calculated the magnetic dipole and the electric quadrupole hyperfine interaction constants of 3 s 3 p 3,1P1o states and the isotope shift, including mass and field shift, factors for transitions from these two states to the ground state 3 s 2 1S0 in Al+ ions using the multiconfiguration Dirac-Hartree-Fock method. The effects of the electron correlations and the Breit interaction on these physical quantities were investigated in detail based on the active space approach. It is found that the core-core and the higher order correlations are considerable for evaluating the uncertainties of the atomic parameters concerned. The uncertainties of the hyperfine interaction constants in this work are less than 1.6%. Although the isotope shift factors are highly sensitive to the electron correlations, reasonable uncertainties were obtained by exploring the effects of the electron correlations. Moreover, we found that the relativistic nuclear recoil corrections to the mass shift factors are very small and insensitive to the electron correlations for Al+. These atomic parameters present in this work are valuable for extracting the nuclear electric quadrupole moments and the mean-square charge radii of Al isotopes.

Activities report in nuclear physics and particle acceleration

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Jansen, J. F. W.; Demeijer, R. J.

1984-04-01

Research on nuclear resonances; charge transfer; breakup of light and heavy ions; reaction mechanisms of heavy ion collisions; high-spin states; and fundamental symmetries in weak interactions are outlined. Group theoretical methods applied to supersymmetries; phenomenological description of rotation-vibration coupling; a microscopic theory of collective variables; the binding energy of hydrogen adsorbed on stepped platinium; and single electron capture are discussed. Isotopes for nuclear medicine, for off-line nuclear spectroscopy work, and for the study of hyperfine interactions were produced.

Effect of chromosome tethering on nuclear organization in yeast.

PubMed

Avşaroğlu, Barış; Bronk, Gabriel; Gordon-Messer, Susannah; Ham, Jungoh; Bressan, Debra A; Haber, James E; Kondev, Jane

2014-01-01

Interphase chromosomes in Saccharomyces cerevisiae are tethered to the nuclear envelope at their telomeres and to the spindle pole body (SPB) at their centromeres. Using a polymer model of yeast chromosomes that includes these interactions, we show theoretically that telomere attachment to the nuclear envelope is a major determinant of gene positioning within the nucleus only for genes within 10 kb of the telomeres. We test this prediction by measuring the distance between the SPB and the silent mating locus (HML) on chromosome III in wild-type and mutant yeast strains that contain altered chromosome-tethering interactions. In wild-type yeast cells we find that disruption of the telomere tether does not dramatically change the position of HML with respect to the SPB, in agreement with theoretical predictions. Alternatively, using a mutant strain with a synthetic tether that localizes an HML-proximal site to the nuclear envelope, we find a significant change in the SPB-HML distance, again as predicted by theory. Our study quantifies the importance of tethering at telomeres on the organization of interphase chromosomes in yeast, which has been shown to play a significant role in determining chromosome function such as gene expression and recombination.

Effect of Chromosome Tethering on Nuclear Organization in Yeast

PubMed Central

Avşaroğlu, Barış; Bronk, Gabriel; Gordon-Messer, Susannah; Ham, Jungoh; Bressan, Debra A.; Haber, James E.; Kondev, Jane

2014-01-01

Interphase chromosomes in Saccharomyces cerevisiae are tethered to the nuclear envelope at their telomeres and to the spindle pole body (SPB) at their centromeres. Using a polymer model of yeast chromosomes that includes these interactions, we show theoretically that telomere attachment to the nuclear envelope is a major determinant of gene positioning within the nucleus only for genes within 10 kb of the telomeres. We test this prediction by measuring the distance between the SPB and the silent mating locus (HML) on chromosome III in wild–type and mutant yeast strains that contain altered chromosome-tethering interactions. In wild-type yeast cells we find that disruption of the telomere tether does not dramatically change the position of HML with respect to the SPB, in agreement with theoretical predictions. Alternatively, using a mutant strain with a synthetic tether that localizes an HML-proximal site to the nuclear envelope, we find a significant change in the SPB-HML distance, again as predicted by theory. Our study quantifies the importance of tethering at telomeres on the organization of interphase chromosomes in yeast, which has been shown to play a significant role in determining chromosome function such as gene expression and recombination. PMID:25020108

MC generator HARDPING: Nuclear effects in hard interactions of leptons and hadrons with nuclei

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Berdnikov, Ya. A.; Ivanov, A. E.; Kim, V. T.

2016-01-22

Hadron and lepton production in hard interaction of high-energy particles with nuclei are considered in context of developing of Monte Carlo generator HARDPING (Hard Probe Interaction Generator). Such effects as energy losses and multiple re-scattering initial and produced hadrons and their constituents are taken into account. These effects are implemented in current version of generator HARDPING. Data of experiments HERMES on hadron production in lepton-nuclei collisions and E866 on muon pair production in proton-nuclei collisions were described with current version of generator HARDPING. Predictions from recent version HARPING 3.0 for lepton pairs production at proton beam energy I20 GeV aremore » presented.« less

Quantum shielding effects on the Gamow penetration factor for nuclear fusion reaction in quantum plasmas

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Lee, Myoung-Jae; Jung, Young-Dae

2017-01-01

The quantum shielding effects on the nuclear fusion reaction process are investigated in quantum plasmas. The closed expression of the classical turning point for the Gamow penetration factor in quantum plasmas is obtained by the Lambert W-function. The closed expressions of the Gamow penetration factor and the cross section for the nuclear fusion reaction in quantum plasmas are obtained as functions of the plasmon energy and the relative kinetic energy by using the effective interaction potential with the WKB analysis. It is shown that the influence of quantum screening suppresses the Sommerfeld reaction factor. It is also shown that the Gamow penetration factor increases with an increase of the plasmon energy. It is also shown that the quantum shielding effect enhances the deuterium formation by the proton-proton reaction in quantum plasmas. In addition, it is found that the energy dependences on the reaction cross section and the Gamow penetration factor are more significant in high plasmon-energy domains.

c-Jun localizes to the nucleus independent of its phosphorylation by and interaction with JNK and vice versa promotes nuclear accumulation of JNK

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Schreck, Ilona; Al-Rawi, Marco; Mingot, Jose-Manuel

2011-04-22

Highlights: {yields} HSP70, Ku70 and 80 as well as importin 8 are novel interactors of c-Jun. {yields} Nuclear accumulation of c-Jun does not require its functions as a transcription factor. {yields} Nuclear accumulation of c-Jun does not require the interaction with its kinase JNK. {yields} Nuclear accumulation of JNK is regulated by interaction with c-Jun. -- Abstract: In order to activate gene expression, transcription factors such as c-Jun have to reside in the nucleus. The abundance of c-Jun in the nucleus correlates with the activity of its target genes. As a consequence of excessive c-Jun activation, cells undergo apoptosis ormore » changes in differentiation whereas decreased c-Jun function can reduce proliferation. In the present study we addressed how nuclear accumulation of the transcription factor c-Jun is regulated. First, we analyzed which functions of c-Jun are required for efficient nuclear accumulation. Mutants of c-Jun deficient in dimerization or DNA-binding show no defect in nuclear transport. Furthermore, c-Jun import into the nucleus of living cells occurred when the c-Jun phosphorylation sites were mutated as well in cells that lack the major c-Jun kinase, JNK, suggesting that c-Jun transport into the nucleus does not require JNK signaling. Conversely, however, binding of c-Jun seemed to enhance nuclear accumulation of JNK. In order to identify proteins that might be relevant for the nuclear translocation of c-Jun we searched for novel binding partners by a proteomic approach. In addition to the heat shock protein HSP70 and the DNA damage repair factors Ku70 and 80, we isolated human importin 8 as a novel interactor of c-Jun. Interaction of Imp 8 with c-Jun in human cells was confirmed by co-immunoprecipitation experiments. Nuclear accumulation of c-Jun does not require its functions as a transcription factor or the interaction with its kinase JNK. Interestingly, nuclear accumulation of JNK is regulated by interaction with c-Jun. Unraveling the mechanisms of c-Jun and JNK transport to the nucleus and its regulation will improve our understanding of their role in biological and pathophysiological processes.« less

Uncertainties in nuclear transition matrix elements for neutrinoless {beta}{beta} decay

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Rath, P. K.

Uncertainties in nuclear transition matrix elements M{sup (0{nu})} and M{sub N}{sup (0{nu})} due to the exchange of light and heavy Majorana neutrinos, respectively have been estimated by calculating sets of twelve nuclear transition matrix elements for the neutrinoless {beta}{beta} decay of {sup 94,96}Zr, {sup 98,100}Mo, {sup 104}Ru, {sup 110}Pd, {sup 128,130}Te and {sup 150}Nd isotopes in the case of 0{sup +}{yields}0{sup +} transition by considering four different parameterizations of a Hamiltonian with pairing plus multipolar effective two-body interaction and three different parameterizations of Jastrow short range correlations. Exclusion of nuclear transition matrix elements calculated with the Miller-Spencer parametrization reduces themore » uncertainties by 10%-15%.« less

Inorganic biochemistry with short-lived radioisotopes as nuclear probes

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Tröger, W.; Butz, T.

2000-12-01

Metal ions are ubiquitous in the biosphere. In living organisms metalloproteins with specifically designed metal cores perform vital chemical processes. On the other hand, several heavy metals are detrimental to living organisms and nature has developed effective enzymatic detoxification systems which convert toxic metal ions to less toxic species. The nuclear spectroscopy technique Time Differential Perturbed Angular Correlation (TDPAC) of γ-rays uses radioactive isotopes as nuclear probes in these metal cores to obtain a better understanding of the structural and functional significance of these metal cores by monitoring the nuclear quadrupole interaction of the TDPAC probe. Since this technique is based on the nuclear decay, it is also applicable under physiological conditions, i.e., especially at picomolar concentrations. For these studies an indispensable prerequisite is the production of the TDPAC probes with highest possible specific activity and purity as is done by the on-line mass separator ISOLDE at CERN in Geneva.

Recent measurements for hadrontherapy and space radiation: nuclear physics

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Miller, J.

2001-01-01

The particles and energies commonly used for hadron therapy overlap the low end of the charge and energy range of greatest interest for space radiation applications, Z=1-26 and approximately 100-1000 MeV/nucleon. It has been known for some time that the nuclear interactions of the incident ions must be taken into account both in treatment planning and in understanding and addressing the effects of galactic cosmic ray ions on humans in space. Until relatively recently, most of the studies of nuclear fragmentation and transport in matter were driven by the interests of the nuclear physics and later, the hadron therapy communities. However, the experimental and theoretical methods and the accelerator facilities developed for use in heavy ion nuclear physics are directly applicable to radiotherapy and space radiation studies. I will briefly review relevant data taken recently at various accelerators, and discuss the implications of the measurements for radiotherapy, radiobiology and space radiation research.

Equation of state for neutron stars. Some recent developments

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Haensel, P.; Fortin, M.

2017-12-01

Calculations using the chiral effective field theory (ChEFT) indicate that the four-body force contribution to the equation of state (EOS) of pure neutron matter (PNM) at the nuclear density n 0 is negligibly small. However, the overall uncertainty in the EOS of PNM at n 0 remains ∼ 20%. Relativistic mean field (RMF) calculations with in-medium scaling, and including hyperons and Δ resonances, can be made consistent with recent nuclear and astrophysical constraints. Dirac-Brueckner-Hartree-Fock calculations with some medium dependence of the nuclear interaction yield neutron star (NS) models with hyperonic cores consistent with 2 M⊙ stars and agreeing with the saturation parameters of nuclear matter. Many unified EOS for the NS crust and core were calculated, and are reviewed here. The effect of the finite size of baryons on the EOS, its treatment via the excluded-volume approximation, and its relevance for the hypothetical hybrid-star twins at ∼ 2 M⊙ are dicussed.

The nuclear contacts and short range correlations in nuclei

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Weiss, R.; Cruz-Torres, R.; Barnea, N.; Piasetzky, E.; Hen, O.

2018-05-01

Atomic nuclei are complex strongly interacting systems and their exact theoretical description is a long-standing challenge. An approximate description of nuclei can be achieved by separating its short and long range structure. This separation of scales stands at the heart of the nuclear shell model and effective field theories that describe the long-range structure of the nucleus using a mean-field approximation. We present here an effective description of the complementary short-range structure using contact terms and stylized two-body asymptotic wave functions. The possibility to extract the nuclear contacts from experimental data is presented. Regions in the two-body momentum distribution dominated by high-momentum, close-proximity, nucleon pairs are identified and compared to experimental data. The amount of short-range correlated (SRC) nucleon pairs is determined and compared to measurements. Non-combinatorial isospin symmetry for SRC pairs is identified. The obtained one-body momentum distributions indicate dominance of SRC pairs above the nuclear Fermi-momentum.

Interdependence between transcription and mRNP processing and export, and its impact on genetic stability.

PubMed

Luna, Rosa; Jimeno, Sonia; Marín, Mercedes; Huertas, Pablo; García-Rubio, María; Aguilera, Andrés

2005-06-10

The conserved eukaryotic THO-TREX complex acts at the interface between transcription and mRNA export and affects transcription-associated recombination. To investigate the interdependence of nuclear mRNA processes and their impact on genomic integrity, we analyzed transcript accumulation and recombination of 40 selected mutants covering representative steps of the biogenesis and export of the messenger ribonucleoprotein particle (mRNP). None of the mutants analyzed shared the strong transcript-accumulation defect and hyperrecombination of THO mutants. Nevertheless, mutants in 3' end cleavage/polyadenylation, nuclear exosome, and mRNA export showed a weak but significant effect on recombination and transcript accumulation. Mutants of the nuclear exosome (rrp6) and 3' end processing factors (rna14 and rna15) showed inefficient transcription elongation and genetic interactions with THO. The results suggest a tight interdependence among mRNP biogenesis steps and transcription and an unexpected effect of the nuclear exosome and the cleavage/polyadenylation factors on transcription elongation and genetic integrity.

MeV per Nucleon Ion Irradiation of Nuclear Materials with High Energy Synchrotron X-ray Characterization

DOE PAGES

Pellin, M. J.; Yacout, Abdellatif M.; Mo, Kun; ...

2016-01-14

The combination of MeV/Nucleon ion irradiation (e.g. 133 MeV Xe) and high energy synchrotron x-ray characterization (e.g. at the Argonne Advanced Photon Source, APS) provides a powerful characterization method to understand radiation effects and to rapidly screen materials for the nuclear reactor environment. Ions in this energy range penetrate ~10 μm into materials. Over this range, the physical interactions vary (electronic stopping, nuclear stopping and added interstitials). Spatially specific x-ray (and TEM and nanoindentation) analysis allow individual quantification of these various effects. Hard x-rays provide the penetration depth needed to analyze even nuclear fuels. Here, this combination of synchrotron x-raymore » and MeV/Nucleon ion irradiation is demonstrated on U-Mo fuels. A preliminary look at HT-9 steels is also presented. We suggest that a hard x-ray facility with in situ MeV/nucleon irradiation capability would substantially accelerate the rate of discovery for extreme materials.« less

Nonlocal Polarization Feedback in a Fractional Quantum Hall Ferromagnet.

PubMed

Hennel, Szymon; Braem, Beat A; Baer, Stephan; Tiemann, Lars; Sohi, Pirouz; Wehrli, Dominik; Hofmann, Andrea; Reichl, Christian; Wegscheider, Werner; Rössler, Clemens; Ihn, Thomas; Ensslin, Klaus; Rudner, Mark S; Rosenow, Bernd

2016-04-01

In a quantum Hall ferromagnet, the spin polarization of the two-dimensional electron system can be dynamically transferred to nuclear spins in its vicinity through the hyperfine interaction. The resulting nuclear field typically acts back locally, modifying the local electronic Zeeman energy. Here we report a nonlocal effect arising from the interplay between nuclear polarization and the spatial structure of electronic domains in a ν=2/3 fractional quantum Hall state. In our experiments, we use a quantum point contact to locally control and probe the domain structure of different spin configurations emerging at the spin phase transition. Feedback between nuclear and electronic degrees of freedom gives rise to memristive behavior, where electronic transport through the quantum point contact depends on the history of current flow. We propose a model for this effect which suggests a novel route to studying edge states in fractional quantum Hall systems and may account for so-far unexplained oscillatory electronic-transport features observed in previous studies.

RanGTPase regulates the interaction between the inner nuclear membrane proteins, Samp1 and Emerin.

PubMed

Vijayaraghavan, Balaje; Figueroa, Ricardo A; Bergqvist, Cecilia; Gupta, Amit J; Sousa, Paulo; Hallberg, Einar

2018-06-01

Samp1, spindle associated membrane protein 1, is a type II integral membrane protein localized in the inner nuclear membrane. Recent studies have shown that the inner nuclear membrane protein, Emerin and the small monomeric GTPase, Ran are direct binding partners of Samp1. Here we addressed the question whether Ran could regulate the interaction between Samp1 and Emerin in the inner nuclear membrane. To investigate the interaction between Samp1 and Emerin in live cells, we performed FRAP experiments in cells overexpressing YFP-Emerin. We compared the mobility of YFP-Emerin in Samp1 knock out cells and cells overexpressing Samp1. The results showed that the mobility of YFP-Emerin was higher in Samp1 knock out cells and lower in cells overexpressing Samp1, suggesting that Samp1 significantly attenuates the mobility of Emerin in the nuclear envelope. FRAP experiments using tsBN2 cells showed that the mobility of Emerin depends on RanGTP. Consistently, in vitro binding experiments showed that the affinity between Samp1 and Emerin is decreased in the presence of Ran, suggesting that Ran attenuates the interaction between Samp1 and Emerin. This is the first demonstration that Ran can regulate the interaction between two proteins in the nuclear envelope. Copyright © 2018 The Authors. Published by Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

Constraints on neutron star radii based on chiral effective field theory interactions.

PubMed

Hebeler, K; Lattimer, J M; Pethick, C J; Schwenk, A

2010-10-15

We show that microscopic calculations based on chiral effective field theory interactions constrain the properties of neutron-rich matter below nuclear densities to a much higher degree than is reflected in commonly used equations of state. Combined with observed neutron star masses, our results lead to a radius R=9.7-13.9  km for a 1.4M⊙ star, where the theoretical range is due, in about equal amounts, to uncertainties in many-body forces and to the extrapolation to high densities.

Uncertainty analysis of 208Pb neutron skin predictions with chiral interactions

DOE PAGES

Sammarruca, Francesca

2015-09-14

Here, we report predictions for the neutron skin in 208Pb using chiral two- and three-body interactions at increasing orders of chiral effective field theory and varying resolution scales. Closely related quantities, such as the slope of the symmetry energy, are also discussed. As a result, the sensitivity of the skin to just pure neutron matter pressure when going from order 2 to order 4 of chiral effective theory is singled out in a set of calculations that employ an empirical equation of state for symmetric nuclear matter.

Role of Quantum Vibrations on the Structural, Electronic, and Optical Properties of 9-Methylguanine.

PubMed

Law, Yu Kay; Hassanali, Ali A

2015-11-05

In this work, we report theoretical predictions of the UV-absorption spectra of 9-methylguanine using time dependent density functional theory (TDDFT). Molecular dynamics simulations of the hydrated DNA base are peformed using an empirical force field, Born-Oppenheimer ab initio molecular dynamics (AIMD), and finally path-integral AIMD to understand the role of the underlying electronic potential, solvation, and nuclear quantum vibrations on the absorption spectra. It is shown that the conformational distributions, including hydrogen bonding interactions, are perturbed by the inclusion of nuclear quantum effects, leading to significant changes in the total charge and dipole fluctuations of the DNA base. The calculated absorption spectra using the different sampling protocols shows that the inclusion of nuclear quantum effects causes a significant broadening and red shift of the spectra bringing it into closer agreement with experiments.

SUMMARY OF PROGRESS REPORT ON NUCLEAR PHYSICS , DURING YEARLY PERIOD ENDING IN FEBRUARY 1963

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

None

1963-10-31

Aspects of nucleon-nucleon interactions are being examined. Tests of the mathematical form of the one-pion exchange interaction and of the validity of charge independence were improved. No real negation of the applicability of either the mathematical form of the one-pion exchange potential or of charge independence has been found. Work on p-p and p-n scattering analysis centered on improving the accuracy of data and on rewriting IBM 704 programs for the IBM 709 and 7090. The new programs provide separate treatments of errors in quantities such as differential cross sections and in relative values at the same incident energy. Improvementsmore » in the least squares method of adjustment to data were also made. Difficulties in correcting for the effects of nuclear magnetic moments were examined, and formulas and numbers giving the corrections applicable to the one-pion exchange group were worked out and incorporated in new machine programs. A partial analysis of data for n-p scattering in the 2 to 3 Bev energy region shows the existence of a sharp peak in the angular distribution of recoil protons from elastic collisions. Interpretation of work on the interplay of multipion resonance effects with each other and with the direct pion interaction was begun. Systematization of spin rotation effect and aspects of relativistic effects in the Coulomb interaction in p-p scattering was carried out. Treatment of N-N spin- orbit and central field interactions caused by vector meson exchange was improved. Programming of the IBM 709 for computation of the first order nucleonnucleus optical potential and nucleon-nucleus observables in first Born approximation at forward angles from N-N phase parameters was performed. An IBM 709 program for computing pi -N scattering observables from phase shifts was also written. Investigation of photodisintegration of deuterons involved correcting the formulas used in calculating higher order magnetic multipole effects for some omitted effects and rewriting the 704 programs for the IBM 709. Progress in a scattering matrix approach to deuteron photodisintegration was also made. In theory of nucleon-transfer reactions, systematization of the connection between completely quantum mechanical and semiclassical treatments, including analysis of approximations required in the former to obtain the latter, was attempted. Presence of interference effects between the waves was partially confirmed by experiment. Calculations of third order effects in Coulomb excitation were carried out, and programming for more extensive work was begun. Work on interpretation of heavy ion elastic scattering involved additional calculations of the interaction using nucleonnucleus scattering with some calculations using an ingoing wave boundary condition instead of an optical model treatment of the nuclear interior. Twenty-one papers published or submitted for publication during the period are listed. (D.C.W.)« less

Nuclear γ-tubulin associates with nucleoli and interacts with tumor suppressor protein C53.

PubMed

Hořejší, Barbora; Vinopal, Stanislav; Sládková, Vladimíra; Dráberová, Eduarda; Sulimenko, Vadym; Sulimenko, Tetyana; Vosecká, Věra; Philimonenko, Anatoly; Hozák, Pavel; Katsetos, Christos D; Dráber, Pavel

2012-01-01

γ-Tubulin is assumed to be a typical cytosolic protein necessary for nucleation of microtubules from microtubule organizing centers. Using immunolocalization and cell fractionation techniques in combination with siRNAi and expression of FLAG-tagged constructs, we have obtained evidence that γ-tubulin is also present in nucleoli of mammalian interphase cells of diverse cellular origins. Immunoelectron microscopy has revealed γ-tubulin localization outside fibrillar centers where transcription of ribosomal DNA takes place. γ-Tubulin was associated with nucleolar remnants after nuclear envelope breakdown and could be translocated to nucleoli during mitosis. Pretreatment of cells with leptomycin B did not affect the distribution of nuclear γ-tubulin, making it unlikely that rapid active transport via nuclear pores participates in the transport of γ-tubulin into the nucleus. This finding was confirmed by heterokaryon assay and time-lapse imaging of photoconvertible protein Dendra2 tagged to γ-tubulin. Immunoprecipitation from nuclear extracts combined with mass spectrometry revealed an association of γ-tubulin with tumor suppressor protein C53 located at multiple subcellular compartments including nucleoli. The notion of an interaction between γ-tubulin and C53 was corroborated by pull-down and co-immunoprecipitation experiments. Overexpression of γ-tubulin antagonized the inhibitory effect of C53 on DNA damage G(2) /M checkpoint activation. The combined results indicate that aside from its known role in microtubule nucleation, γ-tubulin may also have nuclear-specific function(s). Copyright © 2011 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.

Selective Inhibitor of Nuclear Export (SINE) Compounds Alter New World Alphavirus Capsid Localization and Reduce Viral Replication in Mammalian Cells.

PubMed

Lundberg, Lindsay; Pinkham, Chelsea; de la Fuente, Cynthia; Brahms, Ashwini; Shafagati, Nazly; Wagstaff, Kylie M; Jans, David A; Tamir, Sharon; Kehn-Hall, Kylene

2016-11-01

The capsid structural protein of the New World alphavirus, Venezuelan equine encephalitis virus (VEEV), interacts with the host nuclear transport proteins importin α/β1 and CRM1. Novel selective inhibitor of nuclear export (SINE) compounds, KPT-185, KPT-335 (verdinexor), and KPT-350, target the host's primary nuclear export protein, CRM1, in a manner similar to the archetypical inhibitor Leptomycin B. One major limitation of Leptomycin B is its irreversible binding to CRM1; which SINE compounds alleviate because they are slowly reversible. Chemically inhibiting CRM1 with these compounds enhanced capsid localization to the nucleus compared to the inactive compound KPT-301, as indicated by immunofluorescent confocal microscopy. Differences in extracellular versus intracellular viral RNA, as well as decreased capsid in cell free supernatants, indicated the inhibitors affected viral assembly, which led to a decrease in viral titers. The decrease in viral replication was confirmed using a luciferase-tagged virus and through plaque assays. SINE compounds had no effect on VEEV TC83_Cm, which encodes a mutated form of capsid that is unable to enter the nucleus. Serially passaging VEEV in the presence of KPT-185 resulted in mutations within the nuclear localization and nuclear export signals of capsid. Finally, SINE compound treatment also reduced the viral titers of the related eastern and western equine encephalitis viruses, suggesting that CRM1 maintains a common interaction with capsid proteins across the New World alphavirus genus.

High-field Overhauser dynamic nuclear polarization in silicon below the metal-insulator transition.

PubMed

Dementyev, Anatoly E; Cory, David G; Ramanathan, Chandrasekhar

2011-04-21

Single crystal silicon is an excellent system to explore dynamic nuclear polarization (DNP), as it exhibits a continuum of properties from metallic to insulating as a function of doping concentration and temperature. At low doping concentrations DNP has been observed to occur via the solid effect, while at very high-doping concentrations an Overhauser mechanism is responsible. Here we report the hyperpolarization of (29)Si in n-doped silicon crystals, with doping concentrations in the range of (1-3) × 10(17) cm(-3). In this regime exchange interactions between donors become extremely important. The sign of the enhancement in our experiments and its frequency dependence suggest that the (29)Si spins are directly polarized by donor electrons via an Overhauser mechanism within exchange-coupled donor clusters. The exchange interaction between donors only needs to be larger than the silicon hyperfine interaction (typically much smaller than the donor hyperfine coupling) to enable this Overhauser mechanism. Nuclear polarization enhancement is observed for a range of donor clusters in which the exchange energy is comparable to the donor hyperfine interaction. The DNP dynamics are characterized by a single exponential time constant that depends on the microwave power, indicating that the Overhauser mechanism is a rate-limiting step. Since only about 2% of the silicon nuclei are located within 1 Bohr radius of the donor electron, nuclear spin diffusion is important in transferring the polarization to all the spins. However, the spin-diffusion time is much shorter than the Overhauser time due to the relatively weak silicon hyperfine coupling strength. In a 2.35 T magnetic field at 1.1 K, we observed a DNP enhancement of 244 ± 84 resulting in a silicon polarization of 10.4 ± 3.4% following 2 h of microwave irradiation.

Nucleon effective masses in neutron-rich matter

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Li, Bao-An; Cai, Bao-Jun; Chen, Lie-Wen; Xu, Jun

2018-03-01

Various kinds of isovector nucleon effective masses are used in the literature to characterize the momentum/energy dependence of the nucleon symmetry potential or self-energy due to the space/time non-locality of the underlying isovector strong interaction in neutron-rich nucleonic matter. The multifaceted studies on nucleon isovector effective masses are multi-disciplinary in nature. Besides structures, masses and low-lying excited states of nuclei as well as nuclear reactions, studies of the isospin dependence of short-range correlations in nuclei from scatterings of high-energy electrons and protons on heavy nuclei also help understand nucleon effective masses especially the so-called E-mass in neutron-rich matter. A thorough understanding of all kinds of nucleon effective masses has multiple impacts on many interesting issues in both nuclear physics and astrophysics. Indeed, essentially all microscopic many-body theories and phenomenological models with various nuclear forces available in the literature have been used to calculate single-nucleon potentials and the associated nucleon effective masses in neutron-rich matter. There are also fundamental principles connecting different aspects and impacts of isovector strong interactions. In particular, the Hugenholtz-Van Hove theorem connects analytically nuclear symmetry energy with both isoscalar and isovector nucleon effective masses as well as their own momentum dependences. It also reveals how the isospin-quartic term in the equation of state of neutron-rich matter depends on the high-order momentum-derivatives of both isoscalar and isovector nucleon potentials. The Migdal-Luttinger theorem facilitates the extraction of nucleon E-mass and its isospin dependence from experimentally constrained single-nucleon momentum distributions. The momentum/energy dependence of the symmetry potential and the corresponding neutron-proton effective mass splitting also affect transport properties and the liquid-gas phase transition in neutron-rich matter. Moreover, they influence the dynamics and isospin-sensitive observables of heavy-ion collisions through both the Vlasov term and the collision integrals of the Boltzmann-Uehling-Uhlenbeck transport equation. We review here some of the significant progresses made in recent years by the nuclear physics community in resolving some of the hotly debated and longstanding issues regarding nucleon effective masses especially in dense neutron-rich matter. We also point out some of the remaining key issues requiring further investigations in the era of high precision experiments using advanced rare isotope beams.

Chiral EFT based nuclear forces: achievements and challenges

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Machleidt, R.; Sammarruca, F.

2016-08-01

During the past two decades, chiral effective field theory has become a popular tool to derive nuclear forces from first principles. Two-nucleon interactions have been worked out up to sixth order of chiral perturbation theory and three-nucleon forces up to fifth order. Applications of some of these forces have been conducted in nuclear few- and many-body systems—with a certain degree of success. But in spite of these achievements, we are still faced with great challenges. Among them is the issue of a proper uncertainty quantification of predictions obtained when applying these forces in ab initio calculations of nuclear structure and reactions. A related problem is the order by order convergence of the chiral expansion. We start this review with a pedagogical introduction and then present the current status of the field of chiral nuclear forces. This is followed by a discussion of representative examples for the application of chiral two- and three-body forces in the nuclear many-body system including convergence issues.

Quenching of dynamic nuclear polarization by spin-orbit coupling in GaAs quantum dots.

PubMed

Nichol, John M; Harvey, Shannon P; Shulman, Michael D; Pal, Arijeet; Umansky, Vladimir; Rashba, Emmanuel I; Halperin, Bertrand I; Yacoby, Amir

2015-07-17

The central-spin problem is a widely studied model of quantum decoherence. Dynamic nuclear polarization occurs in central-spin systems when electronic angular momentum is transferred to nuclear spins and is exploited in quantum information processing for coherent spin manipulation. However, the mechanisms limiting this process remain only partially understood. Here we show that spin-orbit coupling can quench dynamic nuclear polarization in a GaAs quantum dot, because spin conservation is violated in the electron-nuclear system, despite weak spin-orbit coupling in GaAs. Using Landau-Zener sweeps to measure static and dynamic properties of the electron spin-flip probability, we observe that the size of the spin-orbit and hyperfine interactions depends on the magnitude and direction of applied magnetic field. We find that dynamic nuclear polarization is quenched when the spin-orbit contribution exceeds the hyperfine, in agreement with a theoretical model. Our results shed light on the surprisingly strong effect of spin-orbit coupling in central-spin systems.

Mitotic phosphorylation of SUN1 loosens its connection with the nuclear lamina while the LINC complex remains intact.

PubMed

Patel, Jennifer T; Bottrill, Andrew; Prosser, Suzanna L; Jayaraman, Sangeetha; Straatman, Kees; Fry, Andrew M; Shackleton, Sue

2014-01-01

At the onset mitosis in higher eukaryotes, the nuclear envelope (NE) undergoes dramatic deconstruction to allow separation of duplicated chromosomes. Studies have shown that during this process of nuclear envelope breakdown (NEBD), the extensive protein networks of the nuclear lamina are disassembled through phosphorylation of lamins and several inner nuclear membrane (INM) proteins. The LINC complex, composed of SUN and nesprin proteins, is involved in multiple interactions at the NE and plays vital roles in nuclear and cellular mechanics by connecting the nucleus to the cytoskeleton. Here, we show that SUN1, located in the INM, undergoes mitosis-specific phosphorylation on at least 3 sites within its nucleoplasmic N-terminus. We further identify Cdk1 as the kinase responsible for serine 48 and 333 phosphorylation, while serine 138 is phosphorylated by Plk1. In mitotic cells, SUN1 loses its interaction with N-terminal domain binding partners lamin A/C, emerin, and short nesprin-2 isoforms. Furthermore, a triple phosphomimetic SUN1 mutant displays increased solubility and reduced retention at the NE. In contrast, the central LINC complex interaction between the SUN1 C-terminus and the KASH domain of nesprin-2 is maintained during mitosis. Together, these data support a model whereby mitotic phosphorylation of SUN1 disrupts interactions with nucleoplasmic binding partners, promoting disassembly of the nuclear lamina and, potentially, its chromatin interactions. At the same time, our data add to an emerging picture that the core LINC complex plays an active role in NEBD.

Neutrino Processes in Neutron Stars

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Kolomeitsev, E. E.; Voskresensky, D. N.

2010-10-01

The aim of these lectures is to introduce basic processes responsible for cooling of neutron stars and to show how to calculate the neutrino production rate in dense strongly interacting nuclear medium. The formalism is presented that treats on equal footing one-nucleon and multiple-nucleon processes and reactions with virtual bosonic modes and condensates. We demonstrate that neutrino emission from dense hadronic component in neutron stars is subject of strong modifications due to collective effects in the nuclear matter. With the most important in-medium processes incorporated in the cooling code an overall agreement with available soft X ray data can be easily achieved. With these findings the so-called “standard” and “non-standard” cooling scenarios are replaced by one general “nuclear medium cooling scenario” which relates slow and rapid neutron star coolings to the star masses (interior densities). The lectures are split in four parts. Part I: After short introduction to the neutron star cooling problem we show how to calculate neutrino reaction rates of the most efficient one-nucleon and two-nucleon processes. No medium effects are taken into account in this instance. The effects of a possible nucleon pairing are discussed. We demonstrate that the data on neutron star cooling cannot be described without inclusion of medium effects. It motivates an assumption that masses of the neutron stars are different and that neutrino reaction rates should be strongly density dependent. Part II: We introduce the Green’s function diagram technique for systems in and out of equilibrium and the optical theorem formalism. The latter allows to perform calculations of production rates with full Green’s functions including all off-mass-shell effects. We demonstrate how this formalism works within the quasiparticle approximation. Part III: The basic concepts of the nuclear Fermi liquid approach are introduced. We show how strong interaction effects can be included within the Green’s function formalism. Softening of the pion mode with an baryon density increase is explicitly incorporated. We show examples of inconsistencies in calculations without inclusion of medium effects. Then we demonstrate calculations of different reaction rates in non-superfluid nuclear matter with taking into account medium effects. Many new reaction channels are open up in the medium and should be analyzed. Part IV: We discuss the neutrino production reactions in superfluid nuclear systems. The reaction rates of processes associated with the pair breaking and formation are calculated. Special attention is focused on the gauge invariance and the exact fulfillment of the Ward identities for the vector current. Finally we present comparison of calculations of neutron star cooling performed within nuclear medium cooling scenario with the available data.

Pom121 links two essential subcomplexes of the nuclear pore complex core to the membrane

PubMed Central

Mitchell, Jana M.; Mansfeld, Jörg; Capitanio, Juliana; Kutay, Ulrike

2010-01-01

Nuclear pore complexes (NPCs) control the movement of molecules across the nuclear envelope (NE). We investigated the molecular interactions that exist at the interface between the NPC scaffold and the pore membrane. We show that key players mediating these interactions in mammalian cells are the nucleoporins Nup155 and Nup160. Nup155 depletion massively alters NE structure, causing a dramatic decrease in NPC numbers and the improper targeting of membrane proteins to the inner nuclear membrane. The role of Nup155 in assembly is likely closely linked to events at the membrane as we show that Nup155 interacts with pore membrane proteins Pom121 and NDC1. Furthermore, we demonstrate that the N terminus of Pom121 directly binds the β-propeller regions of Nup155 and Nup160. We propose a model in which the interactions of Pom121 with Nup155 and Nup160 are predicted to assist in the formation of the nuclear pore and the anchoring of the NPC to the pore membrane. PMID:20974814

The covalent interaction between dihydrogen and gold: A rotational spectroscopic study of H2-AuCl

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Obenchain, Daniel A.; Frank, Derek S.; Grubbs, G. S.; Pickett, Herbert M.; Novick, Stewart E.

2017-05-01

The pure rotational transitions of H2-AuCl have been measured using a pulsed-jet cavity Fourier transform microwave spectrometer equipped with a laser ablation source. The structure was found to be T-shaped, with the H-H bond interacting with the gold atom. Both 35Cl and 37Cl isotopologues have been measured for both ortho and para states of H2. Rotational constants, quartic centrifugal distortion constants, and nuclear quadrupole coupling constants for gold and chlorine have been determined. The use of the nuclear spin-nuclear spin interaction terms Daa, Dbb, and Dcc for H2 were required to fit the ortho state of hydrogen, as well as a nuclear-spin rotation constant Caa. The values of the nuclear quadrupole coupling constant of gold are χa a=-817.9929 (35 ) MHz, χb b=504.0 (27 ) MHz, and χc c=314.0 (27 ) . This is large compared to the eQq of AuCl, 9.63 312(13) MHz, which indicates a strong, covalent interaction between gold and dihydrogen.

Measurement of the muon antineutrino double-differential cross section for quasielastic-like scattering on hydrocarbon at Eν˜3.5 GeV

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Patrick, C. E.; Aliaga, L.; Bashyal, A.; Bellantoni, L.; Bercellie, A.; Betancourt, M.; Bodek, A.; Bravar, A.; Budd, H.; Caceres v., G. F. R.; Carneiro, M. F.; Chavarria, E.; da Motta, H.; Dytman, S. A.; Díaz, G. A.; Felix, J.; Fields, L.; Fine, R.; Gago, A. M.; Galindo, R.; Gallagher, H.; Ghosh, A.; Gran, R.; Han, J. Y.; Harris, D. A.; Henry, S.; Hurtado, K.; Jena, D.; Kleykamp, J.; Kordosky, M.; Le, T.; Lu, X.-G.; Maher, E.; Manly, S.; Mann, W. A.; Marshall, C. M.; McFarland, K. S.; McGowan, A. M.; Messerly, B.; Miller, J.; Mislivec, A.; Morfín, J. G.; Mousseau, J.; Naples, D.; Nelson, J. K.; Norrick, A.; Nowak, G. M.; Nuruzzaman, Paolone, V.; Perdue, G. N.; Peters, E.; Ramírez, M. A.; Ransome, R. D.; Ray, H.; Ren, L.; Rodrigues, P. A.; Ruterbories, D.; Schellman, H.; Solano Salinas, C. J.; Sultana, M.; Sánchez Falero, S.; Teklu, A. M.; Valencia, E.; Wolcott, J.; Wospakrik, M.; Yaeggy, B.; Zhang, D.; Miner ν A Collaboration

2018-03-01

We present double-differential measurements of antineutrino charged-current quasielastic scattering in the MINERvA detector. This study improves on a previous single-differential measurement by using updated reconstruction algorithms and interaction models and provides a complete description of observed muon kinematics in the form of a double-differential cross section with respect to muon transverse and longitudinal momentum. We include in our signal definition zero-meson final states arising from multinucleon interactions and from resonant pion production followed by pion absorption in the primary nucleus. We find that model agreement is considerably improved by a model tuned to MINERvA inclusive neutrino scattering data that incorporates nuclear effects such as weak nuclear screening and two-particle, two-hole enhancements.

Nuclear half-lives for {alpha}-radioactivity of elements with 100 {<=} Z {<=} 130

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Chowdhury, P. Roy; Samanta, C.; Physics Department, Gottwald Science Center, University of Richmond, Richmond, VA 23173

2008-11-15

Theoretical estimates for the half-lives of about 1700 isotopes of heavy elements with 100 {<=} Z {<=} 130 are tabulated using theoretical Q-values. The quantum mechanical tunneling probabilities are calculated within a WKB framework using microscopic nuclear potentials. The microscopic nucleus-nucleus potentials are obtained by folding the densities of interacting nuclei with a density-dependent M3Y effective nucleon-nucleon interaction. The {alpha}-decay half-lives calculated in this formalism using the experimental Q-values were found to be in good agreement over a wide range of experimental data spanning about 20 orders of magnitude. The theoretical Q-values used for the present calculations are extracted frommore » three different mass estimates viz. Myers-Swiatecki, Muntian-Hofmann-Patyk-Sobiczewski, and Koura-Tachibana-Uno-Yamada.« less

Decoherence mechanisms in Mn3 single-molecule magnet

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Abeywardana, C.; Mowson, A. M.; Christou, G.; Takahashi, S.

In spite of wide interest in the quantum nature of SMMs, decoherence effects that ultimately limit such behavior have yet to be fully understood. Recent investigations have shown that there are three main decoherence mechanisms present in SMMs: spins can couple locally (i) to phonons (phonon decoherence); (ii) to many nuclear spins (nuclear decoherence); and (iii) to each other via dipolar interactions (dipolar decoherence). We have recently uncovered quantum coherence in a Mn3 SMM by quenching decoherence due to dipole interaction between SMMs using a high frequency electron paramagnetic resonance and low temperature. In this presentation, we will discuss temperature dependence of spin relaxation times and the decoherence mechanisms in the Mn3 SMM. This work is supported by the National Science Foundation (DMR-1508661) and the Searle scholars program.

Cex1p is a novel cytoplasmic component of the Saccharomyces cerevisiae nuclear tRNA export machinery.

PubMed

McGuire, Andrew T; Mangroo, Dev

2007-01-24

The Saccharomyces cerevisiae Yor112wp, which we named Cex1p, was identified using a yeast tRNA three-hybrid interaction approach and an in vivo nuclear tRNA export assay as a cytoplasmic component of the nuclear tRNA export machinery. Cex1p binds tRNA saturably, and associates with the nuclear pore complex by interacting directly with Nup116p. Cex1p co-purifies with the nuclear tRNA export receptors Los1p and Msn5p, the eukaryotic elongation factor eEF-1A, which delivers aminoacylated tRNAs to the ribosome, and the RanGTPase Gsp1p, but not with Cca1p, a tRNA maturation enzyme that facilitates translocation of non-aminoacylated tRNAs across the nuclear pore complex. Depletion of Cex1p and eEF-1A or Los1p significantly reduced the efficiency of nuclear tRNA export. Cex1p interacts with Los1p but not with eEF-1A in vitro. These findings suggest that Cex1p is a component of the nuclear aminoacylation-dependent tRNA export pathway in S. cerevisiae. They also suggest that Cex1p collects aminoacyl-tRNAs from the nuclear export receptors at the cytoplasmic side of the nuclear pore complex, and transfers them to eEF-1A using a channelling mechanism.

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Onder, Zeynep; Moroianu, Junona, E-mail: moroianu@bc.edu

We have previously discovered and characterized the nuclear import pathways for the E7 oncoproteins of mucosal alpha genus HPVs, type 16 and 11. Here we investigated the nuclear import of cutaneous beta genus HPV8 E7 protein using confocal microscopy after transfections of HeLa cells with EGFP-8E7 and mutant plasmids and nuclear import assays in digitonin-permeabilized HeLa cells. We determined that HPV8 E7 contains a nuclear localization signal (NLS) within its zinc-binding domain that mediates its nuclear import. Furthermore, we discovered that a mostly hydrophobic patch {sub 65}LRLFV{sub 69} within the zinc-binding domain is essential for the nuclear import and localizationmore » of HPV8 E7 via hydrophobic interactions with the FG nucleoporins Nup62 and Nup153. Substitution of the hydrophobic residues within the {sub 65}LRLFV{sub 69} patch to alanines, and not R66A mutation, disrupt the interactions between the 8E7 zinc-binding domain and Nup62 and Nup153 and consequently inhibit nuclear import of HPV8 E7. - Highlights: • HPV8 E7 has a cNLS within its zinc-binding domain that mediates its nuclear import. • Discovery of a hydrophobic patch that is critical for the nuclear import of HPV8 E7. • HPV8 E7 nuclear import is mediated by hydrophobic interactions with FG-Nups, Nup62 and Nup153.« less

Ground-state energies and charge radii of medium-mass nuclei in the unitary-model-operator approach

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Miyagi, Takayuki; Abe, Takashi; Okamoto, Ryoji; Otsuka, Takaharu

2014-09-01

In nuclear structure theory, one of the most fundamental problems is to understand the nuclear structure based on nuclear forces. This attempt has been enabled due to the progress of the computational power and nuclear many-body approaches. However, it is difficult to apply the first-principle methods to medium-mass region, because calculations demand the huge model space as increasing the number of nucleons. The unitary-model-operator approach (UMOA) is one of the methods which can be applied to medium-mass nuclei. The essential point of the UMOA is to construct the effective Hamiltonian which does not induce the two-particle-two-hole excitations. A many-body problem is reduced to the two-body subsystem problem in an entire many-body system with the two-body effective interaction and one-body potential determined self-consistently. In this presentation, we will report the numerical results of ground-state energies and charge radii of 16O, 40Ca, and 56Ni in the UMOA, and discuss the saturation property by comparing our results with those in the other many-body methods and also experimental data. In nuclear structure theory, one of the most fundamental problems is to understand the nuclear structure based on nuclear forces. This attempt has been enabled due to the progress of the computational power and nuclear many-body approaches. However, it is difficult to apply the first-principle methods to medium-mass region, because calculations demand the huge model space as increasing the number of nucleons. The unitary-model-operator approach (UMOA) is one of the methods which can be applied to medium-mass nuclei. The essential point of the UMOA is to construct the effective Hamiltonian which does not induce the two-particle-two-hole excitations. A many-body problem is reduced to the two-body subsystem problem in an entire many-body system with the two-body effective interaction and one-body potential determined self-consistently. In this presentation, we will report the numerical results of ground-state energies and charge radii of 16O, 40Ca, and 56Ni in the UMOA, and discuss the saturation property by comparing our results with those in the other many-body methods and also experimental data. The part of numerical calculation has been done on the NEC SX8R at RCNP, Osaka University. This work was supported in part by MEXT SPIRE and JICFuS. It was also supported in part by the Program in part for Leading Graduate Schools, MEXT, Japan.

The mitochondrial genome in embryo technologies.

PubMed

Hiendleder, S; Wolf, E

2003-08-01

The mammalian mitochondrial genome encodes for 37 genes which are involved in a broad range of cellular functions. The mitochondrial DNA (mtDNA) molecule is commonly assumed to be inherited through oocyte cytoplasm in a clonal manner, and apparently species-specific mechanisms have evolved to eliminate the contribution of sperm mitochondria after natural fertilization. However, recent evidence for paternal mtDNA inheritance in embryos and offspring questions the general validity of this model, particularly in the context of assisted reproduction and embryo biotechnology. In addition to normal mt DNA haplotype variation, oocytes and spermatozoa show remarkable differences in mtDNA content and may be affected by inherited or acquired mtDNA aberrations. All these parameters have been correlated with gamete quality and reproductive success rates. Nuclear transfer (NT) technology provides experimental models for studying interactions between nuclear and mitochondrial genomes. Recent studies demonstrated (i) a significant effect of mtDNA haplotype or other maternal cytoplasmic factors on the efficiency of NT; (ii) phenotypic differences between transmitochondrial clones pointing to functionally relevant nuclear-cytoplasmic interactions; and (iii) neutral or non-neutral selection of mtDNA haplotypes in heteroplasmic conditions. Mitochondria form a dynamic reticulum, enabling complementation of mitochondrial components and possibly mixing of different mtDNA populations in heteroplasmic individuals. Future directions of research on mtDNA in the context of reproductive biotechnology range from the elimination of adverse effects of artificial heteroplasmy, e.g. created by ooplasm transfer, to engineering of optimized constellations of nuclear and cytoplasmic genes for the production of superior livestock.

Overview of Nuclear Physics Data: Databases, Web Applications and Teaching Tools

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

McCutchan, Elizabeth

2017-01-01

The mission of the United States Nuclear Data Program (USNDP) is to provide current, accurate, and authoritative data for use in pure and applied areas of nuclear science and engineering. This is accomplished by compiling, evaluating, and disseminating extensive datasets. Our main products include the Evaluated Nuclear Structure File (ENSDF) containing information on nuclear structure and decay properties and the Evaluated Nuclear Data File (ENDF) containing information on neutron-induced reactions. The National Nuclear Data Center (NNDC), through the website www.nndc.bnl.gov, provides web-based retrieval systems for these and many other databases. In addition, the NNDC hosts several on-line physics tools, useful for calculating various quantities relating to basic nuclear physics. In this talk, I will first introduce the quantities which are evaluated and recommended in our databases. I will then outline the searching capabilities which allow one to quickly and efficiently retrieve data. Finally, I will demonstrate how the database searches and web applications can provide effective teaching tools concerning the structure of nuclei and how they interact. Work supported by the Office of Nuclear Physics, Office of Science of the U.S. Department of Energy under Contract No. DE-AC02-98CH10886.

Conference on Nuclear Energy and Science for the 21st Century: Atoms for Peace Plus Fifty - Washington, D.C., October 2003

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Pfaltzgraff, Robert L

2006-10-22

This conference's focus was the peaceful uses of the atom and their implications for nuclear science, energy security, nuclear medicine and national security. The conference also provided the setting for the presentation of the prestigious Enrico Fermi Prize, a Presidential Award which recognizes the contributions of distinguished members of the scientific community for a lifetime of exceptional achievement in the science and technology of nuclear, atomic, molecular, and particle interactions and effects. An impressive group of distinguished speakers addressed various issues that included: the impact and legacy of the Eisenhower Administration’s “Atoms for Peace” concept, the current and future rolemore » of nuclear power as an energy source, the challenges of controlling and accounting for existing fissile material, and the horizons of discovery for particle or high-energy physics. The basic goal of the conference was to examine what has been accomplished over the past fifty years as well as to peer into the future to gain insights into what may occur in the fields of nuclear energy, nuclear science, nuclear medicine, and the control of nuclear materials.« less

Nuclear Lamins

PubMed Central

Dechat, Thomas; Adam, Stephen A.; Taimen, Pekka; Shimi, Takeshi; Goldman, Robert D.

2010-01-01

The nuclear lamins are type V intermediate filament proteins that are critically important for the structural properties of the nucleus. In addition, they are involved in the regulation of numerous nuclear processes, including DNA replication, transcription and chromatin organization. The developmentally regulated expression of lamins suggests that they are involved in cellular differentiation. Their assembly dynamic properties throughout the cell cycle, particularly in mitosis, are influenced by posttranslational modifications. Lamins may regulate nuclear functions by direct interactions with chromatin and determining the spatial organization of chromosomes within the nuclear space. They may also regulate chromatin functions by interacting with factors that epigenetically modify the chromatin or directly regulate replication or transcription. PMID:20826548

Aberrant localization of lamin B receptor (LBR) in cellular senescence in human cells

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Arai, Rumi; En, Atsuki; Ukekawa, Ryo

2016-05-13

5-Bromodeoxyuridine (BrdU), a thymidine analogue, induces cellular senescence in mammalian cells. BrdU induces cellular senescence probably through the regulation of chromatin because BrdU destabilizes or disrupts nucleosome positioning and decondenses heterochromatin. Since heterochromatin is tethered to the nuclear periphery through the interaction with the nuclear envelope proteins, we examined the localization of the several nuclear envelope proteins such as lamins, lamin-interacting proteins, nuclear pore complex proteins, and nuclear transport proteins in senescent cells. We have shown here that lamin B receptor (LBR) showed a change in localization in both BrdU-induced and replicative senescent cells.

The program at JPL to investigate the nuclear interaction of RTG's with scientific instruments on deep space probes

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Truscello, V.

1972-01-01

A major concern in the integration of a radioisotope thermoelectric generator (RTG) with a spacecraft designed to explore the outer planets is the effect of the emitted radiation on the normal operation of scientific instruments. The necessary techniques and tools developed to allow accurate calculation of the neutron and gamma spectrum emanating from the RTG. The specific sources of radiation were identified and quantified. Monte Carlo techniques are then employed to perform the nuclear transport calculations. The results of these studies are presented. An extensive experimental program was initiated to measure the response of a number of scientific components to the nuclear radiation.

The deuteron-radius puzzle is alive: A new analysis of nuclear structure uncertainties

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Hernandez, O. J.; Ekström, A.; Nevo Dinur, N.; Ji, C.; Bacca, S.; Barnea, N.

2018-03-01

To shed light on the deuteron radius puzzle we analyze the theoretical uncertainties of the nuclear structure corrections to the Lamb shift in muonic deuterium. We find that the discrepancy between the calculated two-photon exchange correction and the corresponding experimentally inferred value by Pohl et al. [1] remain. The present result is consistent with our previous estimate, although the discrepancy is reduced from 2.6 σ to about 2 σ. The error analysis includes statistic as well as systematic uncertainties stemming from the use of nucleon-nucleon interactions derived from chiral effective field theory at various orders. We therefore conclude that nuclear theory uncertainty is more likely not the source of the discrepancy.

Nuclear Resonance Scattering of Circularly Polarized SR

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Szymanski, K.; Satula, D.; Dobrzynski, L.; Kalska, B.

2004-09-01

Results of the experiments with nuclear resonance scattering of synchrotron radiation aiming at construction of the circularly polarized beam suitable for nuclear hyperfine studies are reported. Si(4 0 0) single crystal slab, 100 μ m thick, was used as a quarter wave plate. Observed twofold reduction of the intensity in proposed geometry is due to the Si crystal itself. Hyperfine interactions are used to probe polarization state of the synchrotron beam. Too large angular beam divergence did not allow for achieving full circular polarization of photons. Consequently, further experiments are proposed to overcame beam divergence problems. A number of calculations presented in the paper show that cheap and easily available Si plate can serve as an effective desired polarizer.

Super-resolution microscopy reveals LINC complex recruitment at nuclear indentation sites.

PubMed

Versaevel, Marie; Braquenier, Jean-Baptiste; Riaz, Maryam; Grevesse, Thomas; Lantoine, Joséphine; Gabriele, Sylvain

2014-12-08

Increasing evidences show that the actin cytoskeleton is a key parameter of the nuclear remodeling process in response to the modifications of cellular morphology. However, detailed information on the interaction between the actin cytoskeleton and the nuclear lamina was still lacking. We addressed this question by constraining endothelial cells on rectangular fibronectin-coated micropatterns and then using Structured Illumination Microscopy (SIM) to observe the interactions between actin stress fibers, nuclear lamina and LINC complexes at a super-resolution scale. Our results show that tension in apical actin stress fibers leads to deep nuclear indentations that significantly deform the nuclear lamina. Interestingly, indented nuclear zones are characterized by a local enrichment of LINC complexes, which anchor apical actin fibers to the nuclear lamina. Moreover, our findings indicate that nuclear indentations induce the formation of segregated domains of condensed chromatin. However, nuclear indentations and condensed chromatin domains are not irreversible processes and both can relax in absence of tension in apical actin stress fibers.

Prm3p is a pheromone-induced peripheral nuclear envelope protein required for yeast nuclear fusion.

PubMed

Shen, Shu; Tobery, Cynthia E; Rose, Mark D

2009-05-01

Nuclear membrane fusion is the last step in the mating pathway of the yeast Saccharomyces cerevisiae. We adapted a bioinformatics approach to identify putative pheromone-induced membrane proteins potentially required for nuclear membrane fusion. One protein, Prm3p, was found to be required for nuclear membrane fusion; disruption of PRM3 caused a strong bilateral defect, in which nuclear congression was completed but fusion did not occur. Prm3p was localized to the nuclear envelope in pheromone-responding cells, with significant colocalization with the spindle pole body in zygotes. A previous report, using a truncated protein, claimed that Prm3p is localized to the inner nuclear envelope. Based on biochemistry, immunoelectron microscopy and live cell microscopy, we find that functional Prm3p is a peripheral membrane protein exposed on the cytoplasmic face of the outer nuclear envelope. In support of this, mutations in a putative nuclear localization sequence had no effect on full-length protein function or localization. In contrast, point mutations and deletions in the highly conserved hydrophobic carboxy-terminal domain disrupted both protein function and localization. Genetic analysis, colocalization, and biochemical experiments indicate that Prm3p interacts directly with Kar5p, suggesting that nuclear membrane fusion is mediated by a protein complex.

Space nuclear power system and the design of the nuclear electric propulsion OTV

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Buden, D.; Garrison, P. W.

1984-01-01

Payload increases of three to five times that of the Shuttle/Centaur can be achieved using nuclear electric propulsion. Various nuclear power plant options being pursued by the SP-100 Program are described. These concepts can grow from 100 kWe to 1 MWe output. Spacecraft design aspects are addressed, including thermal interactions, plume interactions, and radiation fluences. A baseline configuration is described accounting for these issues. Safety aspects of starting the OTV transfer from an altitude of 300 km indicate no significant additional risk to the biosphere.

Isomer depletion as experimental evidence of nuclear excitation by electron capture

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Chiara, C. J.; Carroll, J. J.; Carpenter, M. P.; Greene, J. P.; Hartley, D. J.; Janssens, R. V. F.; Lane, G. J.; Marsh, J. C.; Matters, D. A.; Polasik, M.; Rzadkiewicz, J.; Seweryniak, D.; Zhu, S.; Bottoni, S.; Hayes, A. B.; Karamian, S. A.

2018-02-01

The atomic nucleus and its electrons are often thought of as independent systems that are held together in the atom by their mutual attraction. Their interaction, however, leads to other important effects, such as providing an additional decay mode for excited nuclear states, whereby the nucleus releases energy by ejecting an atomic electron instead of by emitting a γ-ray. This ‘internal conversion’ has been known for about a hundred years and can be used to study nuclei and their interaction with their electrons. In the inverse process—nuclear excitation by electron capture (NEEC)—a free electron is captured into an atomic vacancy and can excite the nucleus to a higher-energy state, provided that the kinetic energy of the free electron plus the magnitude of its binding energy once captured matches the nuclear energy difference between the two states. NEEC was predicted in 1976 and has not hitherto been observed. Here we report evidence of NEEC in molybdenum-93 and determine the probability and cross-section for the process in a beam-based experimental scenario. Our results provide a standard for the assessment of theoretical models relevant to NEEC, which predict cross-sections that span many orders of magnitude. The greatest practical effect of the NEEC process may be on the survival of nuclei in stellar environments, in which it could excite isomers (that is, long-lived nuclear states) to shorter-lived states. Such excitations may reduce the abundance of the isotope after its production. This is an example of ‘isomer depletion’, which has been investigated previously through other reactions, but is used here to obtain evidence for NEEC.

ϕ Meson Production at Forward Rapidity with the PHENIX Detector at RHIC

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Sarsour, Murad

2017-12-01

The ϕ meson production in p+p collisions is an important tool to study QCD, providing data to tune phenomenological QCD models, while in high-energy heavy-ion collisions it provides key information on the hot and dense state of the strongly interacting matter produced in such collisions. It is sensitive to the medium-induced effects such as strangeness enhancement, a phenomenon associated with soft particles in bulk matter. Measurements in the dilepton channels are especially interesting since leptons interact only electromagnetically, thus carrying the information from their production phase directly to the detector. Measurements in different nucleus-nucleus collisions allow us to perform a systematic study of the nuclear medium effects on ϕ meson production. The PHENIX detector provides the capabilities to measure the ϕ meson production in a wide range of transverse momentum and rapidity to study various cold nuclear effects such as soft multiple parton rescattering and modification of the parton distribution functions in nuclei. In this proceeding, we report the most recent PHENIX results on ϕ meson production in p+p, d+Au and Cu+Au collisions.

Evidence for triclosan-induced activation of human and rodent xenobiotic nuclear receptors

EPA Science Inventory

The bacteriostat triclosan (2,4,40-trichloro-20-hydroxydiphenylether) (TCS) decreases rat serum thyroxine via putative nuclear receptor (NR) interaction(s) and subsequent transcriptional up-regulation of hepatic catabolism and clearance. However, due to the evolutionary divergenc...

Mode of action from dose-response microarray data: case study using 10 environmental chemicals

EPA Science Inventory

Ligand-activated nuclear receptors regulate many biological processes through complex interactions with biological macromolecules. Certain xenobiotics alter nuclear receptor signaling through direct or indirect interactions. Defining the mode of action of such xenobiotics is di...

Novel nuclear-cytoplasmic interaction in wheat (Triticum aestivum) induces vigorous plants

USDA-ARS?s Scientific Manuscript database

Interspecific hybridization can be considered an accelerator of evolution, otherwise a slow process, solely dependent on mutation and recombination. Upon interspecific hybridization, several novel interactions between nuclear and cytoplasmic genomes emerge which provide additional sources of diversi...

Universal functions of nuclear proximity potential for Skyrme nucleus-nucleus interaction in a semiclassical approach

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Gupta, Raj K.; Singh, Dalip; Kumar, Raj; Greiner, Walter

2009-07-01

The universal function of the nuclear proximity potential is obtained for the Skyrme nucleus-nucleus interaction in the semiclassical extended Thomas-Fermi (ETF) approach. This is obtained as a sum of the spin-orbit-density-independent and spin-orbit-density-dependent parts of the Hamiltonian density, since the two terms behave differently, the spin-orbit-density-independent part mainly attractive and the spin-orbit-density-dependent part mainly repulsive. The semiclassical expansions of kinetic energy density and spin-orbit density are allowed up to second order, and the two-parameter Fermi density, with its parameters fitted to experiments, is used for the nuclear density. The universal functions or the resulting nuclear proximity potential reproduce the 'exact' Skyrme nucleus-nucleus interaction potential in the semiclassical approach, within less than ~1 MeV of difference, both at the maximum attraction and in the surface region. An application of the resulting interaction potential to fusion excitation functions shows clearly that the parameterized universal functions of nuclear proximity potential substitute completely the 'exact' potential in the Skyrme energy density formalism based on the semiclassical ETF method, including also the modifications of interaction barriers at sub-barrier energies in terms of modifying the constants of the universal functions.

Aspects of nuclear envelope dynamics in mitotic cells.

PubMed

Burke, Brian; Shanahan, Catherine; Salina, Davide; Crisp, Melissa

2005-01-01

Major features of the nuclear envelope (NE) are a pair of inner and outer nuclear membranes (INM, ONM) spanned by nuclear pore complexes. While the composition of the ONM resembles that of the endoplasmic reticulum, the INM contains a unique spectrum of proteins. Localization of INM proteins involves a mechanism of selective retention whereby integral proteins are immobilized and concentrated by virtue of interactions with nuclear components. In the case of emerin, INM localization involves interaction with A-type lamins. Interactions between membrane proteins may also play a significant role in INM localization. This conclusion stems from studies on nesprins, a family of membrane proteins that feature a large cytoplasmic domain, a single C-terminal membrane-spanning domain and a small lumenal domain. The nesprin membrane anchor and lumenal (KASH) domains are related to the Drosophila Klarsicht protein. Evidence is emerging that this KASH region interacts with other NE proteins and may influence their distributions. Overexpression of GFP-KASH causes loss of emerin and LAP2 from the NE. This is not due to global reorganization of the NE since LAP1 as well as lamins and NPCs remain unaffected. Our results suggest that interactions between NE membrane components are far more extensive and complex than current models suggest.

Stress-induced interaction between p38 MAPK and HSP70

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Gong, Xiaowei, E-mail: gongxw@fimmu.com; Luo, Tingting; Deng, Peng

2012-08-24

Highlights: Black-Right-Pointing-Pointer HSP70 interacts to p38 MAPK in vitro and in vivo. Black-Right-Pointing-Pointer HSP70 co-localizes with p38 MAPK in the nucleus upon stress. Black-Right-Pointing-Pointer HSP70 is involved in the nuclear phosphorylation of MK2 by p38 MAPK. -- Abstract: p38 MAPK, one of the four MAPK subfamilies in mammalian cells, is activated by environmental stresses and pro-inflammatory cytokines, playing fundamental roles in many biological processes. Despite all that is known on the structure and functions of p38, many questions still exist. The coupling of activation and nuclear translocation represents an important aspect of p38 signaling. In our effort in exploring themore » potential chaperone for p38 translocation, we performed an endogenous pull-down assay and identified HSP70 as a potential interacting protein of p38. We confirmed the interaction between p38 and HSP70 in vitro and in vivo, and identified their interaction domains. We also showed stress-induced nuclear co-localization of these two proteins. Our preliminary result indicated that HSP70 was related to the phosphorylation of MK2, a specific nuclear downstream target of p38, suggesting HSP70 is a potential chaperone for the nuclear translocation of p38.« less

Heat Transfer and Thermodynamics: a Compilation

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

1974-01-01

A compilation is presented for the dissemination of information on technological developments which have potential utility outside the aerospace and nuclear communities. Studies include theories and mechanical considerations in the transfer of heat and the thermodynamic properties of matter and the causes and effects of certain interactions.

Proteasomal interaction as a critical activity modulator of the human constitutive androstane receptor

PubMed Central

Chen, Tao; Laurenzana, Elizabeth M.; Coslo, Denise M.; Chen, Fengming; Omiecinski, Curtis J.

2014-01-01

The CAR (constitutive androstane receptor; NR1I3) is a critical xenobiotic sensor that regulates xenobiotic metabolism, drug clearance, energy and lipid homoeostasis, cell proliferation and development. Although constitutively active, in hepatocytes CAR is normally held quiescent through a tethering mechanism in the cytosol, anchored to a protein complex that includes several components, including heat-shock protein 90. Release and subsequent nuclear translocation of CAR is triggered through either direct binding to ligand activators such as CITCO {6-(4-chlorophenyl)imidazo[2,1-b][1,3]thiazole-5-carbaldehyde O-(3,4-dichlorobenzyl)oxime} or through indirect chemical activation, such as with PB (phenobarbital). In the present study, we demonstrate that proteasomal inhibition markedly disrupts CAR function, repressing CAR nuclear trafficking, disrupting CAR’s interaction with nuclear co-activators and inhibiting induction of CAR target gene responses in human primary hepatocytes following treatment with either PB or CITCO. Paradoxically, these effects occur following accumulation of ubiquitinated hCAR (human CAR). Furthermore, a non-proteolytic function was indicated by its interaction with a SUG1 (suppressor for Gal1), a subunit of the 26S proteasome. Taken together, these data demonstrate that the proteasome complex functions at multiple levels to regulate the functional biology of hCAR activity. PMID:24224465

Rac-mediated Stimulation of Phospholipase Cγ2 Amplifies B Cell Receptor-induced Calcium Signaling*♦

PubMed Central

Walliser, Claudia; Tron, Kyrylo; Clauss, Karen; Gutman, Orit; Kobitski, Andrei Yu.; Retlich, Michael; Schade, Anja; Röcker, Carlheinz; Henis, Yoav I.; Nienhaus, G. Ulrich; Gierschik, Peter

2015-01-01

The Rho GTPase Rac is crucially involved in controlling multiple B cell functions, including those regulated by the B cell receptor (BCR) through increased cytosolic Ca2+. The underlying molecular mechanisms and their relevance to the functions of intact B cells have thus far remained unknown. We have previously shown that the activity of phospholipase Cγ2 (PLCγ2), a key constituent of the BCR signalosome, is stimulated by activated Rac through direct protein-protein interaction. Here, we use a Rac-resistant mutant of PLCγ2 to functionally reconstitute cultured PLCγ2-deficient DT40 B cells and to examine the effects of the Rac-PLCγ2 interaction on BCR-mediated changes of intracellular Ca2+ and regulation of Ca2+-regulated and nuclear-factor-of-activated-T-cell-regulated gene transcription at the level of single, intact B cells. The results show that the functional Rac-PLCγ2 interaction causes marked increases in the following: (i) sensitivity of B cells to BCR ligation; (ii) BCR-mediated Ca2+ release from intracellular stores; (iii) Ca2+ entry from the extracellular compartment; and (iv) nuclear translocation of the Ca2+-regulated nuclear factor of activated T cells. Hence, Rac-mediated stimulation of PLCγ2 activity serves to amplify B cell receptor-induced Ca2+ signaling. PMID:25903139

Identification of Nuclear Phosphatidylinositol 4,5-Bisphosphate-Interacting Proteins by Neomycin Extraction*

PubMed Central

Lewis, Aurélia E.; Sommer, Lilly; Arntzen, Magnus Ø.; Strahm, Yvan; Morrice, Nicholas A.; Divecha, Nullin; D'Santos, Clive S.

2011-01-01

Considerable insight into phosphoinositide-regulated cytoplasmic functions has been gained by identifying phosphoinositide-effector proteins. Phosphoinositide-regulated nuclear functions however are fewer and less clear. To address this, we established a proteomic method based on neomycin extraction of intact nuclei to enrich for nuclear phosphoinositide-effector proteins. We identified 168 proteins harboring phosphoinositide-binding domains. Although the vast majority of these contained lysine/arginine-rich patches with the following motif, K/R-(Xn = 3–7)-K-X-K/R-K/R, we also identified a smaller subset of known phosphoinositide-binding proteins containing pleckstrin homology or plant homeodomain modules. Proteins with no prior history of phosphoinositide interaction were identified, some of which have functional roles in RNA splicing and processing and chromatin assembly. The remaining proteins represent potentially other novel nuclear phosphoinositide-effector proteins and as such strengthen our appreciation of phosphoinositide-regulated nuclear functions. DNA topology was exemplar among these: Biochemical assays validated our proteomic data supporting a direct interaction between phosphatidylinositol 4,5-bisphosphate and DNA Topoisomerase IIα. In addition, a subset of neomycin extracted proteins were further validated as phosphatidyl 4,5-bisphosphate-interacting proteins by quantitative lipid pull downs. In summary, data sets such as this serve as a resource for a global view of phosphoinositide-regulated nuclear functions. PMID:21048195

Dynamic interaction between actin and nesprin2 maintain the cell nucleus in a prestressed state

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Kumar, Abhishek; Shivashankar, G. V.

2016-12-01

Mechanical coupling between the nucleus and the cytoskeleton is indispensable for direct force transduction from the extra cellular matrix (ECM) to the chromatin. Although this physical coupling has been shown to be crucial for nuclear positioning and its function, the quantification of nuclear-cytoskeleton interaction has been lacking. In this paper, using various quantitative fluorescence spectroscopy techniques, we investigate the nature of this connection. High-resolution 3D imaging shows that nesprin2G forms short linear structures along actin stress fibers (ASFs) in the apical region of the nucleus. Fluorescence recovery after photobleaching (FRAP) revealed that the alignment of nesprin2G becomes heterogeneous when cell shape is engineered from elongated rectangular shape to square using micropatterned substrates. Further, fluorescence cross-correlation spectroscopy (FCCS) revealed that actin interacts transiently with outer nuclear membrane protein nesprin2G with a time scale of 12 ms. In addition, fluorescence resonance energy transfer (FRET) experiments show that the apical ASFs and nesprin2G are in close physical proximity. This interaction is spatially heterogeneous with high FRET along the ASFs. Lastly, we show that the disruption of actin to nuclear connection by over-expression of Dominant Negative Klarsicht, ANC-1, Syne Homology (DNKASH) leads to an increase in nuclear height. These results not only reveal the characteristics of actin-nesprin2G interaction and its significance in regulating nuclear morphology, but also validate the utility of quantitative fluorescence techniques in deciphering physical connections that are essential for mechanotransduction.

Characterization of sequences in human TWIST required for nuclear localization

PubMed Central

Singh, Shalini; Gramolini, Anthony O

2009-01-01

Background Twist is a transcription factor that plays an important role in proliferation and tumorigenesis. Twist is a nuclear protein that regulates a variety of cellular functions controlled by protein-protein interactions and gene transcription events. The focus of this study was to characterize putative nuclear localization signals (NLSs) 37RKRR40 and 73KRGKK77 in the human TWIST (H-TWIST) protein. Results Using site-specific mutagenesis and immunofluorescences, we observed that altered TWISTNLS1 K38R, TWISTNLS2 K73R and K77R constructs inhibit nuclear accumulation of H-TWIST in mammalian cells, while TWISTNLS2 K76R expression was un-affected and retained to the nucleus. Subsequently, co-transfection of TWIST mutants K38R, K73R and K77R with E12 formed heterodimers and restored nuclear localization despite the NLSs mutations. Using a yeast-two-hybrid assay, we identified a novel TWIST-interacting candidate TCF-4, a basic helix-loop-helix transcription factor. The interaction of TWIST with TCF-4 confirmed using NLS rescue assays, where nuclear expression of mutant TWISTNLS1 with co-transfixed TCF-4 was observed. The interaction of TWIST with TCF-4 was also seen using standard immunoprecipitation assays. Conclusion Our study demonstrates the presence of two putative NLS motifs in H-TWIST and suggests that these NLS sequences are functional. Furthermore, we identified and confirmed the interaction of TWIST with a novel protein candidate TCF-4. PMID:19534813

Identification of candidates for interacting partners of the tail domain of DcNMCP1, a major component of the Daucus carota nuclear lamina-like structure.

PubMed

Mochizuki, Ryota; Tsugama, Daisuke; Yamazaki, Michihiro; Fujino, Kaien; Masuda, Kiyoshi

2017-05-04

NMCP/CRWN (NUCLEAR MATRIX CONSTITUENT PROTEIN/CROWDED NUCLEI) is a major component of a protein fibrous meshwork (lamina-like structure) on the plant inner nuclear membrane. NMCP/CRWN contributes to regulating nuclear shape and nuclear functions. An NMCP/CRWN protein in Daucus carota (DcNMCP1) is localized to the nuclear periphery in interphase cells, and surrounds chromosomes in cells in metaphase and anaphase. The N-terminal region and the C-terminal region of DcNMCP1 are both necessary for localizing DcNMCP1 to the nuclear periphery. Here candidate interacting partners of the amino acid position 975-1053 of DcNMCP1 (T975-1053), which is present in the C-terminal region and contains a conserved sequence that plays a role in localizing DcNMCP1 to the nuclear periphery, are screened for. Arabidopsis thaliana nuclear proteins were subjected to far-Western blotting with GST-fused T975-1053 as a probe, and signals were detected at the positions corresponding to ∼70, ∼40, and ∼18 kDa. These ∼70, ∼40, and ∼18 kDa nuclear proteins were identified by mass spectrometry, and subjected to a yeast 2-hybrid (Y2H) analysis with T975-1053 as bait. In this analysis, the ∼40 kDa protein ARP7, which is a nuclear actin-related protein possibly involved in regulating chromatin structures, was confirmed to interact with T975-1053. Independently of the far-Western blotting, a Y2H screen was performed using T975-1053 as bait. Targeted Y2H assays confirmed that 3 proteins identified in the screen, MYB3, SINAT1, and BIM1, interact with T975-1053. These proteins might have roles in NMCP/CRWN protein-mediated biologic processes.

Rhodamine B induces long nucleoplasmic bridges and other nuclear anomalies in Allium cepa root tip cells.

PubMed

Tan, Dehong; Bai, Bing; Jiang, Donghua; Shi, Lin; Cheng, Shunchang; Tao, Dongbing; Ji, Shujuan

2014-03-01

The cytogenetic toxicity of rhodamine B on root tip cells of Allium cepa was investigated. A. cepa were cultured in water (negative control), 10 ppm methyl methanesulfonate (positive control), and three concentrations of rhodamine B (200, 100, and 50 ppm) for 7 days. Rhodamine B inhibited mitotic activity; increased nuclear anomalies, including micronuclei, nuclear buds, and bridged nuclei; and induced oxidative stress in A. cepa root tissues. Furthermore, a substantial amount of long nucleoplasmic bridges were entangled together, and some nuclei were simultaneously linked to several other nuclei and to nuclear buds with nucleoplasmic bridges in rhodamine B-treated cells. In conclusion, rhodamine B induced cytogenetic effects in A. cepa root tip cells, which suggests that the A. cepa root is an ideal model system for detecting cellular interactions.

Supernovae neutrino pasta interaction

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Lin, Zidu; Horowitz, Charles; Caplan, Matthew; Berry, Donald; Roberts, Luke

2017-01-01

In core-collapse supernovae, the neutron rich matter is believed to have complex structures, such as spherical, slablike, and rodlike shapes. They are collectively called ``nuclear pasta''. Supernovae neutrinos may scatter coherently on the ``nuclear pasta'' since the wavelength of the supernovae neutrinos are comparable to the nuclear pasta scale. Consequently, the neutrino pasta scattering is important to understand the neutrino opacity in the supernovae. In this work we simulated the ``nuclear pasta'' at different temperatures and densities using our semi-classical molecular dynamics and calculated the corresponding static structure factor that describes ν-pasta scattering. We found the neutrino opacities are greatly modified when the ``pasta'' exist and may have influence on the supernovae neutrino flux and average energy. Our neutrino-pasta scattering effect can finally be involved in the current supernovae simulations and we present preliminary proto neutron star cooling simulations including our pasta opacities.

Nuclear Matter Effects on ϕ Production in Cu+Au Collisions at √{s}NN = 200 GeV with the PHENIX Muon Arms at RHIC

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Jezghani, Margaret; Phenix Collaboration

2015-10-01

A major objective in the field of high-energy nuclear physics is to quantify and characterize the quark-gluon plasma formed in relativistic heavy-ion collisions. The ϕ meson is an excellent probe for studying this hot and dense state of nuclear matter due to its very short lifetime, and the absence of strong interactions between muons and the surrounding hot hadronic matter makes the ϕ to dimuon decay channel particularly interesting. Since the ϕ meson is composed of a strange and antistrange quark, its nuclear modification in heavy-ion collisions may provide insight on strangeness enhancement in-medium. Additionally, the rapidity dependence of ϕ production in asymmetric heavy-ion collisions provides a unique means to study the entanglement of hot and cold nuclear matter effects. In this talk, we present the measurement of ϕ meson production and nuclear modification in asymmetric Cu+Au heavy-ion collisions at √{s}NN = 200 GeV at both forward (Cu-going direction) and backward (Au-going direction) rapidities. This material is based upon work supported by the U.S. Department of Energy (DOE), Office of Science, Office of Workforce Development for Teachers and Scientists, Office of Science Graduate Student Research (SCGSR) award program.

Relativistic effects in the intermolecular interaction-induced nuclear magnetic resonance parameters of xenon dimer.

PubMed

Hanni, Matti; Lantto, Perttu; Ilias, Miroslav; Jensen, Hans Jorgen Aagaard; Vaara, Juha

2007-10-28

Relativistic effects on the (129)Xe nuclear magnetic resonance shielding and (131)Xe nuclear quadrupole coupling (NQC) tensors are examined in the weakly bound Xe(2) system at different levels of theory including the relativistic four-component Dirac-Hartree-Fock (DHF) method. The intermolecular interaction-induced binary chemical shift delta, the anisotropy of the shielding tensor Deltasigma, and the NQC constant along the internuclear axis chi( parallel) are calculated as a function of the internuclear distance. DHF shielding calculations are carried out using gauge-including atomic orbitals. For comparison, the full leading-order one-electron Breit-Pauli perturbation theory (BPPT) is applied using a common gauge origin. Electron correlation effects are studied at the nonrelativistic (NR) coupled-cluster singles and doubles with perturbational triples [CCSD(T)] level of theory. The fully relativistic second-order Moller-Plesset many-body perturbation (DMP2) theory is used to examine the cross coupling between correlation and relativity on NQC. The same is investigated for delta and Deltasigma by BPPT with a density functional theory model. A semiquantitative agreement between the BPPT and DHF binary property curves is obtained for delta and Deltasigma in Xe(2). For these properties, the currently most complete theoretical description is obtained by a piecewise approximation where the uncorrelated relativistic DHF results obtained close to the basis-set limit are corrected, on the one hand, for NR correlation effects and, on the other hand, for the BPPT-based cross coupling of relativity and correlation. For chi( parallel), the fully relativistic DMP2 results obtain a correction for NR correlation effects beyond MP2. The computed temperature dependence of the second virial coefficient of the (129)Xe nuclear shielding is compared to experiment in Xe gas. Our best results, obtained with the piecewise approximation for the binary chemical shift combined with the previously published state of the art theoretical potential energy curve for Xe(2), are in excellent agreement with the experiment for the first time.

ORF73 LANA homologs of RRV and MneRV2 contain an extended RGG/RG-rich nuclear and nucleolar localization signal that interacts directly with importin β1 for non-classical nuclear import.

PubMed

Howard, Kellie; Cherezova, Lidia; DeMaster, Laura K; Rose, Timothy M

2017-11-01

The latency-associated nuclear antigens (LANA) of KSHV and macaque RFHVMn, members of the RV1 rhadinovirus lineage, are closely related with conservation of complex nuclear localization signals (NLS) containing bipartite KR-rich motifs and RG-rich domains, which interact distinctly with importins α and ß1 for nuclear import via classical and non-classical pathways, respectively. RV1 LANAs are expressed in the nucleus of latently-infected cells where they inhibit replication and establish a dominant RV1 latency. Here we show that LANA homologs of macaque RRV and MneRV2 from the more distantly-related RV2 lineage, lack the KR-rich NLS, and instead have a large RG-rich NLS with multiple RG dipeptides and a conserved RGG motif. The RG-NLS interacts uniquely with importin β1, which mediates nuclear import and accumulation of RV2 LANA in the nucleolus. The alternative nuclear import and localization of RV2 LANA homologs may contribute to the dominant RV2 lytic replication phenotype. Copyright © 2017. Published by Elsevier Inc.

Genome-nuclear lamina interactions: from cell populations to single cells.

PubMed

Yáñez-Cuna, J Omar; van Steensel, Bas

2017-04-01

Lamina-associated domains (LADs) are large genomic regions that interact with the nuclear lamina (NL) and help to guide the spatial folding of chromosomes in the interphase nucleus. LADs have been linked to gene repression and other functions. Recent studies have begun to uncover some of the molecular players that drive LAD-NL interactions. A picture emerges in which DNA sequence, chromatin components and nuclear lamina proteins play an important role. Complementary to this, imaging and single-cell genomics approaches have revealed that some LAD-NL interactions are variable from cell to cell, while others are very stable. Understanding LADs can provide a unique perspective into the general process of genome organization. Copyright © 2017 The Author(s). Published by Elsevier Ltd.. All rights reserved.

The AAA-ATPase NVL2 is a component of pre-ribosomal particles that interacts with the DExD/H-box RNA helicase DOB1

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Nagahama, Masami; Yamazoe, Takeshi; Hara, Yoshimitsu

2006-08-04

Nuclear VCP/p97-like protein 2 (NVL2) is a member of the chaperone-like AAA-ATPase family with two conserved ATP-binding modules. Our previous studies have shown that NVL2 is localized to the nucleolus by interacting with ribosomal protein L5 and may participate in ribosome synthesis, a process involving various non-ribosomal factors including chaperones and RNA helicases. Here, we show that NVL2 is associated with pre-ribosomal particles in the nucleus. Moreover, we used yeast two-hybrid and co-immunoprecipitation assays to identify an NVL2-interacting protein that could yield insights into NVL2 function in ribosome biogenesis. We found that NVL2 interacts with DOB1, a DExD/H-box RNA helicase,more » whose yeast homologue functions in a late stage of the 60S subunit synthesis. DOB1 can interact with a second ATP-binding module mutant of NVL2, which shows a dominant negative effect on ribosome synthesis. In contrast, it cannot interact with a first ATP-binding module mutant, which does not show the dominant negative effect. When the dominant negative mutant of NVL2 was overexpressed in cells, DOB1 appeared to remain associated with nuclear pre-ribosomal particles. Such accumulation was not observed upon overexpression of wild-type NVL2 or a nondominant-negative mutant. Taken together, our results suggest that NVL2 might regulate the association/dissociation reaction of DOB1 with pre-ribosomal particles by acting as a molecular chaperone.« less

Collisional, radiative and total electron interaction in compound semiconductor detectors and solid state nuclear track detectors: effective atomic number and electron density.

PubMed

Kurudirek, Murat; Kurudirek, Sinem V

2015-05-01

Effective atomic numbers, Zeff and electron densities, Ne are widely used for characterization of interaction processes in radiation related studies. A variety of detectors are employed to detect different types of radiations i.e. photons and charged particles. In the present work, some compound semiconductor detectors (CSCD) and solid state nuclear track detectors (SSNTD) were investigated with respect to the partial as well as total electron interactions. Zeff and Ne of the given detectors were calculated for collisional, radiative and total electron interactions in the kinetic energy region 10keV-1GeV. Maximum values of Zeff and Ne were observed at higher kinetic energies of electrons. Significant variations in Zeff and Ne up to ≈20-25% were noticed for the detectors, GaN, ZnO, Amber and CR-39 for total electron interaction. Moreover, the obtained Zeff and Ne for electrons were compared to those obtained for photons in the entire energy region. Significant variations in Zeff were also noted not only for photons (up to ≈40% for GaN) but also between photons and electrons (up to ≈60% for CR-39) especially at lower energies. Except for the lower energies, Zeff and Ne keep more or less constant values for the given materials. The energy regions where Zeff and Ne keep constant clearly show the availability of using these parameters for characterization of the materials with respect to the radiation interaction processes. Copyright © 2015 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

Probes for dark matter physics

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Khlopov, Maxim Yu.

The existence of cosmological dark matter is in the bedrock of the modern cosmology. The dark matter is assumed to be nonbaryonic and consists of new stable particles. Weakly Interacting Massive Particle (WIMP) miracle appeals to search for neutral stable weakly interacting particles in underground experiments by their nuclear recoil and at colliders by missing energy and momentum, which they carry out. However, the lack of WIMP effects in their direct underground searches and at colliders can appeal to other forms of dark matter candidates. These candidates may be weakly interacting slim particles, superweakly interacting particles, or composite dark matter, in which new particles are bound. Their existence should lead to cosmological effects that can find probes in the astrophysical data. However, if composite dark matter contains stable electrically charged leptons and quarks bound by ordinary Coulomb interaction in elusive dark atoms, these charged constituents of dark atoms can be the subject of direct experimental test at the colliders. The models, predicting stable particles with charge ‑ 2 without stable particles with charges + 1 and ‑ 1 can avoid severe constraints on anomalous isotopes of light elements and provide solution for the puzzles of dark matter searches. In such models, the excessive ‑ 2 charged particles are bound with primordial helium in O-helium atoms, maintaining specific nuclear-interacting form of the dark matter. The successful development of composite dark matter scenarios appeals for experimental search for doubly charged constituents of dark atoms, making experimental search for exotic stable double charged particles experimentum crucis for dark atoms of composite dark matter.

LANDSAT-4 image data quality analysis for energy related applications. [nuclear power plant sites

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Wukelic, G. E. (Principal Investigator)

1983-01-01

No useable LANDSAT 4 TM data were obtained for the Hanford site in the Columbia Plateau region, but TM simulator data for a Virginia Electric Company nuclear power plant was used to test image processing algorithms. Principal component analyses of this data set clearly indicated that thermal plumes in surface waters used for reactor cooling would be discrenible. Image processing and analysis programs were successfully testing using the 7 band Arkansas test scene and preliminary analysis of TM data for the Savanah River Plant shows that current interactive, image enhancement, analysis and integration techniques can be effectively used for LANDSAT 4 data. Thermal band data appear adequate for gross estimates of thermal changes occurring near operating nuclear facilities especially in surface water bodies being used for reactor cooling purposes. Additional image processing software was written and tested which provides for more rapid and effective analysis of the 7 band TM data.

Rare sugar D-allose strongly induces thioredoxin-interacting protein and inhibits osteoclast differentiation in Raw264 cells.

PubMed

Yamada, Kana; Noguchi, Chisato; Kamitori, Kazuyo; Dong, Youyi; Hirata, Yuko; Hossain, Mohammad A; Tsukamoto, Ikuko; Tokuda, Masaaki; Yamaguchi, Fuminori

2012-02-01

Oxidative stress modulates the osteoclast differentiation via redox systems, and thioredoxin 1 (Trx) promotes the osteoclast formation by regulating the activity of transcription factors. The function of Trx is known to be regulated by its binding partner, thioredoxin-interacting protein (TXNIP). We previously reported that the expression of TXNIP gene is strongly induced by a rare sugar D-allose. In this study, we tested the hypothesis that D-allose could inhibit the osteoclast differentiation by regulating the Trx function. We used a murine Raw264 cell line that differentiates to the osteoclast by the receptor activator of nuclear factor-κB ligand (RANKL) treatment. The effect of sugars was evaluated by tartrate-resistant acid phosphatase staining. The expression and localization of TXNIP and Trx protein were examined by Western blotting and immunohistochemisty. The activity of the nuclear factor-κB, nuclear factor of activated T cells, and activator protein 1 transcription factors was measured by the luciferase reporter assay. The addition of D-allose (25 mmol/L) inhibited the osteoclast differentiation down to 9.53% ± 1.27% of a receptor activator of nuclear factor-κB ligand-only treatment. During the osteoclast differentiation, a significant increase of TNXIP was observed by D-allose treatment. The immunohistochemical analysis showed that both Trx and TXNIP existed in the nucleus in preosteoclasts and osteoclasts. Overexpression of TXNIP by plasmid transfection also inhibited the osteoclast formation, indicating the functional importance of TXNIP for the osteoclast differentiation. Transcriptional activity of the activator protein 1, nuclear factor-κB, and nuclear factor of activated T cells, known to be modulated by Trx, were inhibited by D-allose. In conclusion, our data indicate that D-allose is a strong inhibitor of the osteoclast differentiation, and this effect could be caused by TXNIP induction and a resulting inhibition of the Trx function. Copyright © 2012 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

A comment on the validity of fragmentation parameters measured in nuclear emulsions. [cosmic ray nuclei

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Waddington, C. J.

1978-01-01

Evidence is reexamined which has been cited as suggesting serious errors in the use of fragmentation parameters appropriate to an airlike medium deduced from measurements made in nuclear emulsions to evaluate corrections for certain effects in balloon-borne observations of cosmic-ray nuclei. Fragmentation parameters for hydrogenlike interactions are calculated and shown to be in overall good agreement with those obtained previously for air. Experimentally measured fragmentation parameters in emulsion are compared with values computed semiempirically, and reasonable agreement is indicated.

Interatomic potential at small internuclear distances. A simple formula for the screening constant

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Zinoviev, A. N.

2017-09-01

A simple formula for estimating the screening constant has been proposed. This formula fits well experimental data on the interaction potentials. Quantitative description of the experiment for the effect of electronic screening on the nuclear synthesis reaction cross-section for the D+-D system has been obtained. A conclusion has been made that the differences between the measured cross-sections and their theoretically predicted values, which take place in more complicated cases nuclear synthesis reactions, are not caused by uncertainties in the knowledge of potentials.

Computational study: Reduction of iron corrosion in lead coolant of fast nuclear reactor

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Arkundato, Artoto; Su'ud, Zaki; Abdullah, Mikrajuddin

2012-06-20

In this paper we report molecular dynamics simulation results of iron (cladding) corrosion in interaction with lead coolant of fast nuclear reactor. The goal of this work is to study effect of oxygen injection to the coolant to reduce iron corrosion. By evaluating diffusion coefficients, radial distribution functions, mean-square displacement curves and observation of crystal structure of iron before and after oxygen injection, we concluded that a significant reduction of corrosion can be achieved by issuing about 2% of oxygen atoms into lead coolant.

On the semiclassical treatment of hot nuclear systems

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Bartel, J.; Brack, M.; Guet, C.; Håkansson, H.-B.

1984-05-01

We discuss two different semiclassical approaches for calculating properties of hot nuclei and compare them to Hartree-Fock calculations using the same effective interaction. Good agreement is found for the entropy and the root-mean square radii as functions of the excitation energy. For a realistic Skyrme force we evaluate the temperature dependence of the free surface, curvature and constant energy coefficients of the liquid drop model, considering a plane interface of condensed symmetric nuclear matter in thermodynamical equilibrium with a nucleon gas. Present address: ASEA-PFBC AB, S-61220 Finspong, Sweden.

Spatial organization of the budding yeast genome in the cell nucleus and identification of specific chromatin interactions from multi-chromosome constrained chromatin model.

PubMed

Gürsoy, Gamze; Xu, Yun; Liang, Jie

2017-07-01

Nuclear landmarks and biochemical factors play important roles in the organization of the yeast genome. The interaction pattern of budding yeast as measured from genome-wide 3C studies are largely recapitulated by model polymer genomes subject to landmark constraints. However, the origin of inter-chromosomal interactions, specific roles of individual landmarks, and the roles of biochemical factors in yeast genome organization remain unclear. Here we describe a multi-chromosome constrained self-avoiding chromatin model (mC-SAC) to gain understanding of the budding yeast genome organization. With significantly improved sampling of genome structures, both intra- and inter-chromosomal interaction patterns from genome-wide 3C studies are accurately captured in our model at higher resolution than previous studies. We show that nuclear confinement is a key determinant of the intra-chromosomal interactions, and centromere tethering is responsible for the inter-chromosomal interactions. In addition, important genomic elements such as fragile sites and tRNA genes are found to be clustered spatially, largely due to centromere tethering. We uncovered previously unknown interactions that were not captured by genome-wide 3C studies, which are found to be enriched with tRNA genes, RNAPIII and TFIIS binding. Moreover, we identified specific high-frequency genome-wide 3C interactions that are unaccounted for by polymer effects under landmark constraints. These interactions are enriched with important genes and likely play biological roles.

Phospholipid Regulation of the Nuclear Receptor Superfamily

PubMed Central

Crowder, Mark K.; Seacrist, Corey D.; Blind, Raymond D.

2016-01-01

Nuclear receptors are ligand-activated transcription factors whose diverse biological functions are classically regulated by cholesterol-based small molecules. Over the past few decades, a growing body of evidence has demonstrated that phospholipids and other similar amphipathic molecules can also specifically bind and functionally regulate the activity of certain nuclear receptors, suggesting a critical role for these non-cholesterol-based molecules in transcriptional regulation. Phosphatidylcholines, phosphoinositides and sphingolipids are a few of the many phospholipid like molecules shown to quite specifically regulate nuclear receptors in mouse models, cell lines and in vitro. More recent evidence has also shown that certain nuclear receptors can “present” a bound phospholipid headgroup to key lipid signaling enzymes, which can then modify the phospholipid headgroup with very unique kinetic properties. Here, we review the broad array of phospholipid / nuclear receptor interactions, from the perspective of the chemical nature of the phospholipid, and the cellular abundance of the phospholipid. We also view the data in the light of well established paradigms for phospholipid mediated transcriptional regulation, as well as newer models of how phospholipids might effect transcription in the acute regulation of complex nuclear signaling pathways. Thus, this review provides novel insight into the new, non-membrane associated roles nuclear phospholipids play in regulating complex nuclear events, centered on the nuclear receptor superfamily of transcription factors. PMID:27838257

The nuclear lamina regulates germline stem cell niche organization via modulation of EGFR signaling.

PubMed

Chen, Haiyang; Chen, Xin; Zheng, Yixian

2013-07-03

Stem cell niche interactions have been studied extensively with regard to cell polarity and extracellular signaling. Less is known about the way in which signals and polarity cues integrate with intracellular structures to ensure appropriate niche organization and function. Here, we report that nuclear lamins function in the cyst stem cells (CySCs) of Drosophila testes to control the interaction of CySCs with the hub. This interaction is important for regulation of CySC differentiation and organization of the niche that supports the germline stem cells (GSCs). Lamin promotes nuclear retention of phosphorylated ERK in the CySC lineage by regulating the distribution of specific nucleoporins within the nuclear pores. Lamin-regulated nuclear epidermal growth factor (EGF) receptor signaling in the CySC lineage is essential for proliferation and differentiation of the GSCs and the transient amplifying germ cells. Thus, we have uncovered a role for the nuclear lamina in the integration of EGF signaling to regulate stem cell niche function. Copyright © 2013 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

High-lying intermediate excitations in the nuclear effective interaction with a super-soft-core potential

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Goode, P.R.; Barrett, B.R.; Portilho, O.

1979-02-01

The earlier calculations of Goode and Barrett are repeated using the super-soft-core potential of Gogny, Pires, and de Tourreil. The particular third-order folded diagram which they calculated now converges in its intermediate-state energy summation, because of the suppression of the strong short-range repulsive effects present in earlier calculations.

Change of Electroweak Nuclear Reaction Rates by CP- and Isospin Symmetry Breaking - A Model Calculation

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Stumpf, Harald

2006-09-01

Based on the assumption that electroweak bosons, leptons and quarks possess a substructure of elementary fermionic constituents, in previous papers the effect of CP-symmetry breaking on the effective dynamics of these particles was calculated. Motivated by the phenomenological procedure in this paper, isospin symmetry breaking will be added and the physical consequences of these calculations will be discussed. The dynamical law of the fermionic constituents is given by a relativistically invariant nonlinear spinor field equation with local interaction, canonical quantization, selfregularization and probability interpretation. The corresponding effective dynamics is derived by algebraic weak mapping theorems. In contrast to the commonly applied modifications of the quark mass matrices, CP-symmetry breaking is introduced into this algebraic formalism by an inequivalent vacuum with respect to the CP-invariant case, represented by a modified spinor field propagator. This leads to an extension of the standard model as effective theory which contains besides the "electric" electroweak bosons additional "magnetic" electroweak bosons and corresponding interactions. If furthermore the isospin invariance of the propagator is broken too, it will be demonstrated in detail that in combination with CP-symmetry breaking this induces a considerable modification of electroweak nuclear reaction rates.

Contribution of the residue at position 4 within classical nuclear localization signals to modulating interaction with importins and nuclear targeting.

PubMed

Smith, Kate M; Di Antonio, Veronica; Bellucci, Luca; Thomas, David R; Caporuscio, Fabiana; Ciccarese, Francesco; Ghassabian, Hanieh; Wagstaff, Kylie M; Forwood, Jade K; Jans, David A; Palù, Giorgio; Alvisi, Gualtiero

2018-08-01

Nuclear import involves the recognition by importin (IMP) superfamily members of nuclear localization signals (NLSs) within protein cargoes destined for the nucleus, the best understood being recognition of classical NLSs (cNLSs) by the IMPα/β1 heterodimer. Although the cNLS consensus [K-(K/R)-X-(K/R) for positions P2-P5] is generally accepted, recent studies indicated that the contribution made by different residues at the P4 position can vary. Here, we apply a combination of microscopy, molecular dynamics, crystallography, in vitro binding, and bioinformatics approaches to show that the nature of residues at P4 indeed modulates cNLS function in the context of a prototypical Simian Virus 40 large tumor antigen-derived cNLS (KKRK, P2-5). Indeed, all hydrophobic substitutions in place of R impaired binding to IMPα and nuclear targeting, with the largest effect exerted by a G residue at P4. Substitution of R with neutral hydrophobic residues caused the loss of electrostatic and van der Waals interactions between the P4 residue side chains and IMPα. Detailed bioinformatics analysis confirmed the importance of the P4 residue for cNLS function across the human proteome, with specific residues such as G being associated with low activity. Furthermore, we validate our findings for two additional cNLSs from human cytomegalovirus (HCMV) DNA polymerase catalytic subunit UL54 and processivity factor UL44, where a G residue at P4 results in a 2-3-fold decrease in NLS activity. Our results thus showed that the P4 residue makes a hitherto poorly appreciated contribution to nuclear import efficiency, which is essential to determining the precise nuclear levels of cargoes. Copyright © 2018 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

Direct observation of nanoparticle-cancer cell nucleus interactions.

PubMed

Dam, Duncan Hieu M; Lee, Jung Heon; Sisco, Patrick N; Co, Dick T; Zhang, Ming; Wasielewski, Michael R; Odom, Teri W

2012-04-24

We report the direct visualization of interactions between drug-loaded nanoparticles and the cancer cell nucleus. Nanoconstructs composed of nucleolin-specific aptamers and gold nanostars were actively transported to the nucleus and induced major changes to the nuclear phenotype via nuclear envelope invaginations near the site of the construct. The number of local deformations could be increased by ultrafast, light-triggered release of the aptamers from the surface of the gold nanostars. Cancer cells with more nuclear envelope folding showed increased caspase 3 and 7 activity (apoptosis) as well as decreased cell viability. This newly revealed correlation between drug-induced changes in nuclear phenotype and increased therapeutic efficacy could provide new insight for nuclear-targeted cancer therapy.

The mosaic mutants of cucumber: A method to produce knock-downs of mitochondrial transcripts

USDA-ARS?s Scientific Manuscript database

Cytoplasmic effects on plant performance are well documented and result from the intimate interaction between organellar and nuclear gene products. In plants, deletions, mutations, or chimerism of mitochondrial genes are often associated with deleterious phenotypes, as well as economically important...

Cex1p is a novel cytoplasmic component of the Saccharomyces cerevisiae nuclear tRNA export machinery

PubMed Central

McGuire, Andrew T; Mangroo, Dev

2007-01-01

The Saccharomyces cerevisiae Yor112wp, which we named Cex1p, was identified using a yeast tRNA three-hybrid interaction approach and an in vivo nuclear tRNA export assay as a cytoplasmic component of the nuclear tRNA export machinery. Cex1p binds tRNA saturably, and associates with the nuclear pore complex by interacting directly with Nup116p. Cex1p co-purifies with the nuclear tRNA export receptors Los1p and Msn5p, the eukaryotic elongation factor eEF-1A, which delivers aminoacylated tRNAs to the ribosome, and the RanGTPase Gsp1p, but not with Cca1p, a tRNA maturation enzyme that facilitates translocation of non-aminoacylated tRNAs across the nuclear pore complex. Depletion of Cex1p and eEF-1A or Los1p significantly reduced the efficiency of nuclear tRNA export. Cex1p interacts with Los1p but not with eEF-1A in vitro. These findings suggest that Cex1p is a component of the nuclear aminoacylation-dependent tRNA export pathway in S. cerevisiae. They also suggest that Cex1p collects aminoacyl-tRNAs from the nuclear export receptors at the cytoplasmic side of the nuclear pore complex, and transfers them to eEF-1A using a channelling mechanism. PMID:17203074

One Part Nuclear, One Part Solid State: Fifty Years of Mössbauer Spectroscopy

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Westfall, Catherine

2004-05-01

Starting in 1955 Rudolf Mössbauer conducted experiments that would demonstrate in the next three years that an atomic nucleus in a crystal does not recoil when it emits a gamma ray and provides the entire emitted energy to the gamma ray. The resonance spectroscopy made possible by this discovery led to fifty years of scientific explorations in a wide variety of fields including nuclear and solid state physics, chemistry, and geology. At the current time, Mössbauer spectroscopy is a vital part of science programs, both in many laboratories and at world-class light sources, such as Argonnes Advanced Photon Source. This paper will focus on the history of multidisciplinary Mössbauer research at Argonne National Laboratory and particularly on the interaction between nuclear and condensed matter physicists. This was necessary because of the ultra-high energy resolution of the Mössbauer resonance with its ability to resolve hyperfine interactions between the nuclear moments (nuclear charge distribution, the nuclear magnetic moment, and nuclear quadrupole moment) and corresponding solid state properties (electron charge distribution at the nucleus, magnetic field at the nucleus, and electric field gradient at the nucleus.) Understanding and exploiting Mössbauer spectroscopy therefore required work at the intersection of nuclear and solid state physics and the skills and knowledge of both specialties. The paper will start with the discovery and confirmation of the Mössbauer effect. Then it will outline early important experiments, such as the use of Mössbauer spectroscopy to confirm Einsteins general theory of relativity, and give an overview of the rapid expansion of this research tool, first with the use of Fe57 and later with the use of other isotopes. In particular the paper will focus on Argonnes cutting-edge Mössbauer work on transuranics. This work built on the resources and expertise first developed at the laboratory during WWII and brought together not only nuclear and condensed matter physicists, but also chemists, material scientists, and others.

HIV-1 stimulates nuclear entry of amyloid beta via dynamin dependent EEA1 and TGF-β/Smad signaling

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

András, Ibolya E., E-mail: iandras@med.miami; Toborek, Michal, E-mail: mtoborek@med.miami.edu

Clinical evidence indicates increased amyloid deposition in HIV-1-infected brains, which contributes to neurocognitive dysfunction in infected patients. Here we show that HIV-1 exposure stimulates amyloid beta (Aβ) nuclear entry in human brain endothelial cells (HBMEC), the main component of the blood–brain barrier (BBB). Treatment with HIV-1 and/or Aβ resulted in concurrent increase in early endosomal antigen-1 (EEA1), Smad, and phosphorylated Smad (pSmad) in nuclear fraction of HBMEC. A series of inhibition and silencing studies indicated that Smad and EEA1 closely interact by influencing their own nuclear entry; the effect that was attenuated by dynasore, a blocker of GTP-ase activity ofmore » dynamin. Importantly, inhibition of dynamin, EEA1, or TGF-β/Smad effectively attenuated HIV-1-induced Aβ accumulation in the nuclei of HBMEC. The present study indicates that nuclear uptake of Aβ involves the dynamin-dependent EEA1 and TGF-β/Smad signaling pathways. These results identify potential novel targets to protect against HIV-1-associated dysregulation of amyloid processes at the BBB level. - Highlights: • HIV-1 induces nuclear accumulation of amyloid beta (Aβ) in brain endothelial cells. • EEA-1 and TGF-Β/Smad act in concert to regulate nuclear entry of Aβ. • Dynamin appropriates the EEA-1 and TGF-Β/Smad signaling. • Dynamin serves as a master regulator of HIV-1-induced nuclear accumulation of Aβ.« less

Postzygotic isolation involves strong mitochondrial and sex-specific effects in Tigriopus californicus, a species lacking heteromorphic sex chromosomes.

PubMed

Foley, B R; Rose, C G; Rundle, D E; Leong, W; Edmands, S

2013-11-01

Detailed studies of the genetics of speciation have focused on a few model systems, particularly Drosophila. The copepod Tigriopus californicus offers an alternative that differs from standard animal models in that it lacks heteromorphic chromosomes (instead, sex determination is polygenic) and has reduced opportunities for sexual conflict, because females mate only once. Quantitative trait loci (QTL) mapping was conducted on reciprocal F2 hybrids between two strongly differentiated populations, using a saturated linkage map spanning all 12 autosomes and the mitochondrion. By comparing sexes, a possible sex ratio distorter was found but no sex chromosomes. Although studies of standard models often find an excess of hybrid male sterility factors, we found no QTL for sterility and multiple QTL for hybrid viability (indicated by non-Mendelian adult ratios) and other characters. Viability problems were found to be stronger in males, but the usual explanations for weaker hybrid males (sex chromosomes, sensitivity of spermatogenesis, sexual selection) cannot fully account for these male viability problems. Instead, higher metabolic rates may amplify deleterious effects in males. Although many studies of standard speciation models find the strongest genetic incompatibilities to be nuclear-nuclear (specifically X chromosome-autosome), we found the strongest deleterious interaction in this system was mito-nuclear. Consistent with the snowball theory of incompatibility accumulation, we found that trigenic interactions in this highly divergent cross were substantially more frequent (>6×) than digenic interactions. This alternative system thus allows important comparisons to studies of the genetics of reproductive isolation in more standard model systems.

Study of nuclear multifragmentation induced by ultrarelativistic μ-mesons in nuclear track emulsion

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Artemenkov, D. A.; Bradnova, V.; Firu, E.; Kornegrutsa, N. K.; Haiduc, M.; Mamatkulov, K. Z.; Kattabekov, R. R.; Neagu, A.; Rukoyatkin, P. A.; Rusakova, V. V.; Stanoeva, R.; Zaitsev, A. A.; Zarubin, P. I.; Zarubina, I. G.

2016-02-01

Exposures of test samples of nuclear track emulsion were analyzed. The formation of high-multiplicity nuclear stars was observed upon irradiating nuclear track emulsions with ultrarelativistic muons. Kinematical features studied in this exposure of nuclear track emulsions for events of the muon-induced splitting of carbon nuclei to three α-particles are indicative of the nuclear-diffraction interaction mechanism.

A new method for detection of distant supernova neutrino bursts

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Cline, D.; Fenyves, E.; Foshe, T.; Fuller, G.; Meyer, B.; Wilson, J.

1990-03-01

The feasibility of astrophysical neutrino detectors is studied, which is based on the detection of neutrons produced in neutrino-nucleus inelastic scattering events. Collective nuclear effects greatly enhancing the relevant interaction cross sections over those of single particle interactions are discussed. These effects can help to reduce the mass required for neutrino detectors. An example of a simple detector based on CaCO3 neutrino targets and BF3 neutron counters is presented. Neutron background limitations are discussed and the possibility of forming a coincidence between neutrino detectors and future gravity wave detectors is also considered.

Hadron production in 200 GeV μ-copper and μ-carbon deep inelastic interactions

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Arvidson, A.; Aubert, J. J.; Bassompierre, G.; Becks, K. H.; Benchouk, C.; Best, C.; Böhm, E.; de Bouard, X.; Brasse, F. W.; Broll, C.; Brown, S.; Carr, J.; Clifft, R. W.; Cobb, J. H.; Coignet, G.; Combley, F.; Court, G. R.; Crespo, J. M.; D'Agostini, G.; Dalpiaz, P. F.; Dalpiaz, P.; Dau, W. D.; Davies, J. K.; Déclais, Y.; Dobinson, R. W.; Dosselli, U.; Drees, J.; Edwards, A.; Edwards, M.; Favier, J.; Ferrero, M. I.; Flauger, W.; Forsbach, H.; Gabathuler, E.; Gamet, R.; Gayler, J.; Gerhardt, V.; Gössling, C.; Gregory, P.; Haas, J.; Hamacher, K.; Hayman, P.; Henckes, M.; Korbel, V.; Landgraf, U.; Leenen, M.; Maire, M.; Massonnet, L.; Minssieux, H.; Mohr, W.; Montgomery, H. E.; Moser, K.; Mount, R. P.; Nagy, E.; Nassalski, J.; Norton, P. R.; McNicholas, J.; Osborne, A. M.; Payre, P.; Peroni, C.; Pessard, H.; Pietrzyk, U.; Rith, K.; Schneegans, M.; Sloan, T.; Stier, H. E.; Stockhausen, W.; Thénard, J. M.; Thompson, J. C.; Urban, L.; Villers, M.; Wahlen, H.; Whalley, M.; Williams, D.; Williams, W. S. C.; Williamson, J.; Wimpenny, S. J.; European Muon Collaboration

1984-11-01

The measurements of the z and pT2 distribution of hadrons produced in the interactions of 200 GeV muons with copper and carbon nuclei are shown in different xBj and virtual photon energy intervals. Effects of the jet scattering are seen at the lowest virtual photon energies while for energies above 70 GeV there is no evidence of these effects. Comparison with a theoretical model indicates that at high jet energies the parton fragmentation distance is greater than the nuclear radius and that the parton absorption cross section is less than 10 mb.

Developing improved durum wheat germplasm by altering the cytoplasmic genome

USDA-ARS?s Scientific Manuscript database

In eukaryotic organisms, nuclear and cytoplasmic genomes interact to drive cellular functions. These genomes have co-evolved to form specific nuclear-cytoplasmic interactions that are essential to the origin, success, and evolution of diploid and polyploid species. Hundreds of genetic diseases in h...

The molecular mechanism of nuclear transport revealed by atomic-scale measurements

PubMed Central

Hough, Loren E; Dutta, Kaushik; Sparks, Samuel; Temel, Deniz B; Kamal, Alia; Tetenbaum-Novatt, Jaclyn; Rout, Michael P; Cowburn, David

2015-01-01

Nuclear pore complexes (NPCs) form a selective filter that allows the rapid passage of transport factors (TFs) and their cargoes across the nuclear envelope, while blocking the passage of other macromolecules. Intrinsically disordered proteins (IDPs) containing phenylalanyl-glycyl (FG)-rich repeats line the pore and interact with TFs. However, the reason that transport can be both fast and specific remains undetermined, through lack of atomic-scale information on the behavior of FGs and their interaction with TFs. We used nuclear magnetic resonance spectroscopy to address these issues. We show that FG repeats are highly dynamic IDPs, stabilized by the cellular environment. Fast transport of TFs is supported because the rapid motion of FG motifs allows them to exchange on and off TFs extremely quickly through transient interactions. Because TFs uniquely carry multiple pockets for FG repeats, only they can form the many frequent interactions needed for specific passage between FG repeats to cross the NPC. DOI: http://dx.doi.org/10.7554/eLife.10027.001 PMID:26371551

Methods of Ex Situ and In Situ Investigations of Structural Transformations: The Case of Crystallization of Metallic Glasses.

PubMed

Miglierini, Marcel B; Procházka, Vít; Vrba, Vlastimil; Švec, Peter; Janičkovič, Dušan; Matúš, Peter

2018-06-07

We demonstrate the use of two nuclear-based analytical methods that can follow the modifications of microstructural arrangement of iron-based metallic glasses (MGs). Despite their amorphous nature, the identification of hyperfine interactions unveils faint structural modifications. For this purpose, we have employed two techniques that utilize nuclear resonance among nuclear levels of a stable 57 Fe isotope, namely Mössbauer spectrometry and nuclear forward scattering (NFS) of synchrotron radiation. The effects of heat treatment upon (Fe2.85Co1)77Mo8Cu1B14 MG are discussed using the results of ex situ and in situ experiments, respectively. As both methods are sensitive to hyperfine interactions, information on structural arrangement as well as on magnetic microstructure is readily available. Mössbauer spectrometry performed ex situ describes how the structural arrangement and magnetic microstructure appears at room temperature after the annealing under certain conditions (temperature, time), and thus this technique inspects steady states. On the other hand, NFS data are recorded in situ during dynamically changing temperature and NFS examines transient states. The use of both techniques provides complementary information. In general, they can be applied to any suitable system in which it is important to know its steady state but also transient states.

The search for axion-like dark matter using magnetic resonance

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Sushkov, Alexander; Casper Collaboration

2016-05-01

The nature of dark matter is one of the most important open problems in modern physics, and it is necessary to develop techniques to search for a wide class of dark-matter candidates. Axions, originally introduced to resolve the strong CP problem in quantum chromodynamics (QCD), and axion-like particles (ALPs) are strongly motivated dark matter candidates. Nuclear spins interacting with axion-like background dark matter experience an energy shift, oscillating at the frequency equal to the axion Compton frequency. The Cosmic Axion Spin Precession Experiments (CASPEr) use precision magnetometry and nuclear magnetic resonance techniques to search for the effects of this interaction. The experimental signature is precession of the nuclear spins under the condition of magnetic resonance: when the bias magnetic field is tuned such that the nuclear spin sublevel splitting is equal to the axion Compton frequency. These experiments have the potential to detect axion-like dark matter in a wide mass range (10-12 eV to 10-6 eV, scanned by changing the bias magnetic field from approximately 1 gauss to 20 tesla) and with coupling strengths many orders of magnitude beyond the current astrophysical and laboratory limits, and all the way down to those corresponding to the QCD axion. Supported by the Heising-Simons Foundation.

Nuclear envelopathies: a complex LINC between nuclear envelope and pathology.

PubMed

Janin, Alexandre; Bauer, Delphine; Ratti, Francesca; Millat, Gilles; Méjat, Alexandre

2017-08-30

Since the identification of the first disease causing mutation in the gene coding for emerin, a transmembrane protein of the inner nuclear membrane, hundreds of mutations and variants have been found in genes encoding for nuclear envelope components. These proteins can be part of the inner nuclear membrane (INM), such as emerin or SUN proteins, outer nuclear membrane (ONM), such as Nesprins, or the nuclear lamina, such as lamins A and C. However, they physically interact with each other to insure the nuclear envelope integrity and mediate the interactions of the nuclear envelope with both the genome, on the inner side, and the cytoskeleton, on the outer side. The core of this complex, called LINC (LInker of Nucleoskeleton to Cytoskeleton) is composed of KASH and SUN homology domain proteins. SUN proteins are INM proteins which interact with lamins by their N-terminal domain and with the KASH domain of nesprins located in the ONM by their C-terminal domain.Although most of these proteins are ubiquitously expressed, their mutations have been associated with a large number of clinically unrelated pathologies affecting specific tissues. Moreover, variants in SUN proteins have been found to modulate the severity of diseases induced by mutations in other LINC components or interactors. For these reasons, the diagnosis and the identification of the molecular explanation of "nuclear envelopathies" is currently challenging.The aim of this review is to summarize the human diseases caused by mutations in genes coding for INM proteins, nuclear lamina, and ONM proteins, and to discuss their potential physiopathological mechanisms that could explain the large spectrum of observed symptoms.

Basic and Applied Materials Science Research Efforts at MSFC Germane to NASA Goals

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

2003-01-01

Presently, a number of investigations are ongoing that blend basic research with engineering applications in support of NASA goals. These include (1) "Pore Formation and Mobility (PFMI) " An ISS Glovebox Investigation" NASA Selected Project - 400-34-3D; (2) "Interactions Between Rotating Bodies" Center Director's Discretionary Fund (CDDF) Project - 279-62-00-16; (3) "Molybdenum - Rhenium (Mo-Re) Alloys for Nuclear Fuel Containment" TD Collaboration - 800-11-02; (4) "Fabrication of Alumina - Metal Composites for Propulsion Components" ED Collaboration - 090-50-10; (5) "Radiation Shielding for Deep-Space Missions" SD Effort; (6) "Other Research". In brief, "Pore Formation and Mobility" is an experiment to be conducted in the ISS Microgravity Science Glovebox that will systematically investigate the development, movement, and interactions of bubbles (porosity) during the controlled directional solidification of a transparent material. In addition to promoting our general knowledge of porosity physics, this work will serve as a guide to future ISS experiments utilizing metal alloys. "Interactions Between Rotating Bodies" is a CDDF sponsored project that is critically examining, through theory and experiment, claims of "new" physics relating to gravity modification and electric field effects. "Molybdenum - Rhenium Alloys for Nuclear Fuel Containment" is a TD collaboration in support of nuclear propulsion. Mo-Re alloys are being evaluated and developed for nuclear fuel containment. "Fabrication of Alumina - Metal Composites for Propulsion Components" is an ED collaboration with the intent of increasing strength and decreasing weight of metal engine components through the incorporation of nanometer-sized alumina fibers. "Radiation Shielding for Deep-Space Missions" is an SD effort aimed at minimizing the health risk from radiation to human space voyagers; work to date has been primarily programmatic but experiments to develop hydrogen-rich materials for shielding are planned. "Other Research" includes: BUNDLE (Bridgman Unidirectional Dendrite in a Liquid Experiment) activities (primarily crucible development), vibrational float-zone processing (with Vanderbilt University), use of ultrasonics in materials processing (with UAH), rotational effects on microstructural development, and application of magnetic fields for mixing.

SUN1 Regulates HIV-1 Nuclear Import in a Manner Dependent on the Interaction between the Viral Capsid and Cellular Cyclophilin A.

PubMed

Luo, Xinlong; Yang, Wei; Gao, Guangxia

2018-07-01

Human immunodeficiency virus type 1 (HIV-1) can infect nondividing cells via passing through the nuclear pore complex. The nuclear membrane-imbedded protein SUN2 was recently reported to be involved in the nuclear import of HIV-1. Whether SUN1, which shares many functional similarities with SUN2, is involved in this process remained to be explored. Here we report that overexpression of SUN1 specifically inhibited infection by HIV-1 but not that by simian immunodeficiency virus (SIV) or murine leukemia virus (MLV). Overexpression of SUN1 did not affect reverse transcription but led to reduced accumulation of the 2-long-terminal-repeat (2-LTR) circular DNA and integrated viral DNA, suggesting a block in the process of nuclear import. HIV-1 CA was mapped as a determinant for viral sensitivity to SUN1. Treatment of SUN1-expressing cells with cyclosporine (CsA) significantly reduced the sensitivity of the virus to SUN1, and an HIV-1 mutant containing CA-G89A, which does not interact with cyclophilin A (CypA), was resistant to SUN1 overexpression. Downregulation of endogenous SUN1 inhibited the nuclear entry of the wild-type virus but not that of the G89A mutant. These results indicate that SUN1 participates in the HIV-1 nuclear entry process in a manner dependent on the interaction of CA with CypA. IMPORTANCE HIV-1 infects both dividing and nondividing cells. The viral preintegration complex (PIC) can enter the nucleus through the nuclear pore complex. It has been well known that the viral protein CA plays an important role in determining the pathways by which the PIC enters the nucleus. In addition, the interaction between CA and the cellular protein CypA has been reported to be important in the selection of nuclear entry pathways, though the underlying mechanisms are not very clear. Here we show that both SUN1 overexpression and downregulation inhibited HIV-1 nuclear entry. CA played an important role in determining the sensitivity of the virus to SUN1: the regulatory activity of SUN1 toward HIV-1 relied on the interaction between CA and CypA. These results help to explain how SUN1 is involved in the HIV-1 nuclear entry process. Copyright © 2018 American Society for Microbiology.

Interactions of trans-acting factor(s) with the estradiol response element and nuclear factor 1 of the vitellogenin II gene of Japanese quail.

PubMed

Gupta, S; Upadhayay, R; Kanungo, M S

1996-08-01

This study was directed at achieving an understanding of the mechanisms by which steroid hormones control the synthesis of vitellogenin (VTG) protein in the liver of the Japanese quail. Northern hybridization shows that administration of estradiol alone or with progesterone stimulates the synthesis of VTG mRNA. Gel mobility shift assay of DNA fragments containing the ERE and NF 1 shows that estradiol alone or with progesterone increases the levels of nuclear proteins that bind to these cis-acting elements of the promoter of the VTG gene. The cooperative effect of the two hormones seen at the level of expression of the VTG gene may be due to protein-protein interactions of trans-acting factors that bind to ERE and NF 1.

Measurement of the muon antineutrino double-differential cross section for quasielastic-like scattering on hydrocarbon at E ν ~ 3.5 GeV

DOE PAGES

Patrick, C. E.; Aliaga, L.; Bashyal, A.; ...

2018-03-08

We present double-differential measurements of antineutrino charged-current quasielastic scattering in the MINERvA detector. This study improves on a previous single-differential measurement by using updated reconstruction algorithms and interaction models and provides a complete description of observed muon kinematics in the form of a double-differential cross section with respect to muon transverse and longitudinal momentum. We also include in our signal definition, zero-meson final states arising from multinucleon interactions and from resonant pion production followed by pion absorption in the primary nucleus. We find that model agreement is considerably improved by a model tuned to MINERvA inclusive neutrino scattering data thatmore » incorporates nuclear effects such as weak nuclear screening and two-particle, two-hole enhancements.« less

Direct observation of electronic and nuclear ground state splitting in external magnetic field by inelastic neutron scattering on oxidized ferrocene and ferrocene containing polymers

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Appel, Markus; Frick, Bernhard; Elbert, Johannes; Gallei, Markus; Stühn, Bernd

2015-01-01

The quantum mechanical splitting of states by interaction of a magnetic moment with an external magnetic field is well known, e.g., as Zeeman effect in optical transitions, and is also often seen in magnetic neutron scattering. We report excitations observed in inelastic neutron spectroscopy on the redox-responsive polymer poly(vinylferrocene). They are interpreted as splitting of the electronic ground state in the organometallic ferrocene units attached to the polymer chain where a magnetic moment is created by oxidation. In a second experiment using high resolution neutron backscattering spectroscopy we observe the hyperfine splitting, i.e., interaction of nuclear magnetic moments with external magnetic fields leading to sub-μeV excitations observable in incoherent neutron spin-flip scattering on hydrogen and vanadium nuclei.

Quark Matter and Nuclear Collisions a Brief History of Strong Interaction Thermodynamics

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Satz, Helmut

2012-08-01

The past 50 years have seen the emergence of a new field of research in physics, the study of matter at extreme temperatures and densities. The theory of strong interactions, quantum chromodynamics (QCD), predicts that in this limit, matter will become a plasma of deconfined quarks and gluons — the medium which made up the early universe in the first 10 microseconds after the Big Bang. High energy nuclear collisions are expected to produce short-lived bubbles of such a medium in the laboratory. I survey the merger of statistical QCD and nuclear collision studies for the analysis of strongly interacting matter in theory and experiment.

Public health and medical preparedness for a nuclear detonation: the nuclear incident medical enterprise.

PubMed

Coleman, C Norman; Sullivan, Julie M; Bader, Judith L; Murrain-Hill, Paula; Koerner, John F; Garrett, Andrew L; Weinstock, David M; Case, Cullen; Hrdina, Chad; Adams, Steven A; Whitcomb, Robert C; Graeden, Ellie; Shankman, Robert; Lant, Timothy; Maidment, Bert W; Hatchett, Richard C

2015-02-01

Resilience and the ability to mitigate the consequences of a nuclear incident are enhanced by (1) effective planning, preparation and training; (2) ongoing interaction, formal exercises, and evaluation among the sectors involved; (3) effective and timely response and communication; and (4) continuous improvements based on new science, technology, experience, and ideas. Public health and medical planning require a complex, multi-faceted systematic approach involving federal, state, local, tribal, and territorial governments; private sector organizations; academia; industry; international partners; and individual experts and volunteers. The approach developed by the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services Nuclear Incident Medical Enterprise (NIME) is the result of efforts from government and nongovernment experts. It is a "bottom-up" systematic approach built on the available and emerging science that considers physical infrastructure damage, the spectrum of injuries, a scarce resources setting, the need for decision making in the face of a rapidly evolving situation with limited information early on, timely communication, and the need for tools and just-in-time information for responders who will likely be unfamiliar with radiation medicine and uncertain and overwhelmed in the face of the large number of casualties and the presence of radioactivity. The components of NIME can be used to support planning for, response to, and recovery from the effects of a nuclear incident. Recognizing that it is a continuous work-in-progress, the current status of the public health and medical preparedness and response for a nuclear incident is provided.

Public Health and Medical Preparedness for a Nuclear Detonation: The Nuclear Incident Medical Enterprise

PubMed Central

Coleman, C. Norman; Sullivan, Julie M.; Bader, Judith L.; Murrain-Hill, Paula; Koerner, John F.; Garrett, Andrew L.; Weinstock, David M.; Case, Cullen; Hrdina, Chad; Adams, Steven A.; Whitcomb, Robert C.; Graeden, Ellie; Shankman, Robert; Lant, Timothy; Maidment, Bert W.; Hatchett, Richard C.

2014-01-01

Resilience and the ability to mitigate the consequences of a nuclear incident are enhanced by (1) effective planning, preparation and training; (2) ongoing interaction, formal exercises, and evaluation among the sectors involved; (3) effective and timely response and communication; and (4) continuous improvements based on new science, technology, experience and ideas. Public health and medical planning require a complex, multi-faceted systematic approach involving federal, state, local, tribal and territorial governments, private sector organizations, academia, industry, international partners, and individual experts and volunteers. The approach developed by the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services Nuclear Incident Medical Enterprise (NIME) is the result of efforts from government and nongovernment experts. It is a “bottom-up” systematic approach built on the available and emerging science that considers physical infrastructure damage, the spectrum of injuries, a scarce resources setting, the need for decision making in the face of a rapidly evolving situation with limited information early on, timely communication and the need for tools and just-in-time information for responders who will likely be unfamiliar with radiation medicine and uncertain and overwhelmed in the face of the large number of casualties and the presence of radioactivity. The components of NIME can be used to support planning for, response to, and recovery from the effects of a nuclear incident. Recognizing that it is a continuous work-in-progress, the current status of the public health and medical preparedness and response for a nuclear incident is provided. PMID:25551496

New formula of Nuclear Force

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Uddin, Kamal

2011-04-01

It is well established that the forces between nucleons are transmitted by meson. The quantitative explanation of nuclear forces in terms of meson theory was extremely tentative & in complete but this theory supplies a valuable point of view . it is fairly certain now that the nucleons within nuclear matter are in a state made rather different from their free condition by the proximity of other nucleons charge independence of nuclear forces demand the existence of neutral meson as amongst the same type of nucleolus (P-P) or (N-N). this force demand the same spin & orbital angular momentum. The exchange interaction in produced by only a neutral meson. The involving mesons without electric charge, that it gives exchanges forces between proton & Neutron & also therefore maintains charge in dependence character. It is evident for the nature of the products that neutral mesons decay by strong & weak interaction both. It means that neutral mesons constituents responsible for the electromagnetic interaction. Dramatically neutral mesons plays important role for electromagnetic & nuclear force both.

IE1 and hr facilitate the localization of Bombyx mori nucleopolyhedrovirus ORF8 to specific nuclear sites.

PubMed

Kang, WonKyung; Imai, Noriko; Kawasaki, Yu; Nagamine, Toshihiro; Matsumoto, Shogo

2005-11-01

The Bombyx mori nucleopolyhedrovirus (BmNPV) ORF8 protein has previously been reported to colocalize with IE1 to specific nuclear sites during infection. Transient expression of green fluorescent protein (GFP)-fused ORF8 showed the protein to have cytoplasmic localization, but following BmNPV infection the protein formed foci, suggesting that ORF8 requires some other viral factor(s) for this. Therefore, interacting factors were looked for using the yeast two-hybrid system and IE1 was identified. We mapped the interacting region of ORF8 using a yeast two-hybrid assay. An N-terminal region (residues 1-110) containing a predicted coiled-coil domain interacted with IE1, while a truncated N-terminal region (residues 1-78) that lacks this domain did not. In addition, a protein with a complete deletion of the N-terminal region failed to interact with IE1. These results suggest that the ORF8 N-terminal region containing the coiled-coil domain is required for the interaction with IE1. Next, whether IE1 plays a role in ORF8 localization was investigated. In the presence of IE1, GFP-ORF8 localized to the nucleus. In addition, cotransfection with a plasmid expressing IE1 and a plasmid containing the hr3 element resulted in nuclear foci formation. A GFP-fused ORF8 mutant protein containing the coiled-coil domain, previously shown to interact with IE1, also formed nuclear foci in the presence of IE1 and hr3. However, ORF8 mutant proteins that did not interact with IE1 failed to form nuclear foci. In contrast to wild-type IE1, focus formation was not observed for an IE1 mutant protein that was deficient in hr binding. These results suggest that IE1 and hr facilitate the localization of BmNPV ORF8 to specific nuclear sites.

Role of nuclear charge change and nuclear recoil on shaking processes and their possible implication on physical processes

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Sharma, Prashant

2017-12-01

The probable role of the sudden nuclear charge change and nuclear recoil in the shaking processes during the neutron- or heavy-ion-induced nuclear reactions and weakly interacting massive particle-nucleus scattering has been investigated in the present work. Using hydrogenic wavefunctions, general analytical expressions of survival, shakeup/shakedown, and shakeoff probability have been derived for various subshells of hydrogen-like atomic systems. These expressions are employed to calculate the shaking, shakeup/shakedown, and shakeoff probabilities in some important cases of interest in the nuclear astrophysics and the dark matter search experiments. The results underline that the shaking processes are one of the probable channels of electronic transitions during the weakly interacting massive particle-nucleus scattering, which can be used to probe the dark matter in the sub-GeV regime. Further, it is found that the shaking processes initiating due to nuclear charge change and nuclear recoil during the nuclear reactions may influence the electronic configuration of the participating atomic systems and thus may affect the nuclear reaction measurements at astrophysically relevant energies.

Regulation of Stress-Inducible Phosphoprotein 1 Nuclear Retention by Protein Inhibitor of Activated STAT PIAS1

PubMed Central

Soares, Iaci N.; Caetano, Fabiana A.; Pinder, Jordan; Rodrigues, Bruna Roz; Beraldo, Flavio H.; Ostapchenko, Valeriy G.; Durette, Chantal; Pereira, Grace Schenatto; Lopes, Marilene H.; Queiroz-Hazarbassanov, Nicolle; Cunha, Isabela W.; Sanematsu, Paulo I.; Suzuki, Sergio; Bleggi-Torres, Luiz F.; Schild-Poulter, Caroline; Thibault, Pierre; Dellaire, Graham; Martins, Vilma R.; Prado, Vania F.; Prado, Marco A. M.

2013-01-01

Stress-inducible phosphoprotein 1 (STI1), a cochaperone for Hsp90, has been shown to regulate multiple pathways in astrocytes, but its contributions to cellular stress responses are not fully understood. We show that in response to irradiation-mediated DNA damage stress STI1 accumulates in the nucleus of astrocytes. Also, STI1 haploinsufficiency decreases astrocyte survival after irradiation. Using yeast two-hybrid screenings we identified several nuclear proteins as STI1 interactors. Overexpression of one of these interactors, PIAS1, seems to be specifically involved in STI1 nuclear retention and in directing STI1 and Hsp90 to specific sub-nuclear regions. PIAS1 and STI1 co-immunoprecipitate and PIAS1 can function as an E3 SUMO ligase for STI. Using mass spectrometry we identified five SUMOylation sites in STI1. A STI1 mutant lacking these five sites is not SUMOylated, but still accumulates in the nucleus in response to increased expression of PIAS1, suggesting the possibility that a direct interaction with PIAS1 could be responsible for STI1 nuclear retention. To test this possibility, we mapped the interaction sites between PIAS1 and STI1 using yeast-two hybrid assays and surface plasmon resonance and found that a large domain in the N-terminal region of STI1 interacts with high affinity with amino acids 450–480 of PIAS1. Knockdown of PIAS1 in astrocytes impairs the accumulation of nuclear STI1 in response to irradiation. Moreover, a PIAS1 mutant lacking the STI1 binding site is unable to increase STI1 nuclear retention. Interestingly, in human glioblastoma multiforme PIAS1 expression is increased and we found a significant correlation between increased PIAS1 expression and STI1 nuclear localization. These experiments provide evidence that direct interaction between STI1 and PIAS1 is involved in the accumulation of nuclear STI1. This retention mechanism could facilitate nuclear chaperone activity. PMID:23938469

Interactive Effects of Dietary Lipid and Phenotypic Feed Efficiency on the Expression of Nuclear and Mitochondrial Genes Involved in the Mitochondrial Electron Transport Chain in Rainbow Trout

PubMed Central

Eya, Jonathan C.; Ukwuaba, Vitalis O.; Yossa, Rodrigue; Gannam, Ann L.

2015-01-01

A 2 × 3 factorial study was conducted to evaluate the effects of dietary lipid level on the expression of mitochondrial and nuclear genes involved in electron transport chain in all-female rainbow trout Oncorhynchus mykiss. Three practical diets with a fixed crude protein content of 40%, formulated to contain 10% (40/10), 20% (40/20) and 30% (40/30) dietary lipid, were fed to apparent satiety to triplicate groups of either low-feed efficient (F120; 217.66 ± 2.24 g initial average mass) or high-feed efficient (F136; 205.47 ± 1.27 g) full-sib families of fish, twice per day, for 90 days. At the end of the experiment, the results showed that there is an interactive effect of the dietary lipid levels and the phenotypic feed efficiency (growth rate and feed efficiency) on the expression of the mitochondrial genes nd1 (NADH dehydrogenase subunit 1), cytb (Cytochrome b), cox1 (Cytochrome c oxidase subunits 1), cox2 (Cytochrome c oxidase subunits 2) and atp6 (ATP synthase subunit 6) and nuclear genes ucp2α (uncoupling proteins 2 alpha), ucp2β (uncoupling proteins 2 beta), pparα (peroxisome proliferator-activated receptor alpha), pparβ (peroxisome proliferatoractivated receptor beta) and ppargc1α (proliferator-activated receptor gamma coactivator 1 alpha) in fish liver, intestine and muscle, except on ppargc1α in the muscle which was affected by the diet and the family separately. Also, the results revealed that the expression of mitochondrial genes is associated with that of nuclear genes involved in electron transport chain in fish liver, intestine and muscle. Furthermore, this work showed that the expression of mitochondrial genes parallels with the expression of genes encoding uncoupling proteins (UCP) in the liver and the intestine of rainbow trout. This study for the first time presents the molecular basis of the effects of dietary lipid level on mitochondrial and nuclear genes involved in mitochondrial electron transport chain in fish. PMID:25853266

Triangle Universities Nuclear Laboratory

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Not Available

1991-01-01

This report contains brief papers that discusses the following topics: Fundamental Symmetries in the Nucleus; Internucleon Interactions; Dynamics of Very Light Nuclei; Facets of the Nuclear Many-Body Problem; and Nuclear Instruments and Methods.

Pacific Northwest Laboratory annual report for 1985 to the DOE Office of Energy Research. Part 1. Biomedical sciences

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Park, J.F.

1986-02-01

This report summarizes progress on OHER biomedical and health-effects research conducted at PNL in FY 1985 to develop information for a comprehensive understanding of the interaction of energy-related radiation and chemicals with man. Our continuing emphasis on decreasing the uncertainty of health-effects risk estimates to man from existing and/or developing energy-related technologies supports the DOE goal of increasing and diversifying national energy resources and decreasing risks to human health. The report is arranged to reflect the PNL research relative to OHER programmatic needs. The first section concerns evaluation of possible health effects among nuclear workers. The next two sections, whichmore » contain reports of health-effects research in biological systems, include health effects of radiation and health effects of chemical mixtures. The last section is related to medical applications of nuclear technology.« less

Coulomb effects in low-energy nuclear fragmentation

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Wilson, John W.; Chun, Sang Y.; Badavi, Francis F.; John, Sarah

1993-01-01

Early versions of the Langley nuclear fragmentation code NUCFRAG (and a publicly released version called HZEFRG1) assumed straight-line trajectories throughout the interaction. As a consequence, NUCFRAG and HZEFRG1 give unrealistic cross sections for large mass removal from the projectile and target at low energies. A correction for the distortion of the trajectory by the nuclear Coulomb fields is used to derive fragmentation cross sections. A simple energy-loss term is applied to estimate the energy downshifts that greatly alter the Coulomb trajectory at low energy. The results, which are far more realistic than prior versions of the code, should provide the data base for future transport calculations. The systematic behavior of charge-removal cross sections compares favorably with results from low-energy experiments.

Nuclear receptors and nonalcoholic fatty liver disease1

PubMed Central

Cave, Matthew C.; Clair, Heather B.; Hardesty, Josiah E.; Falkner, K. Cameron; Feng, Wenke; Clark, Barbara J.; Sidey, Jennifer; Shi, Hongxue; Aqel, Bashar A.; McClain, Craig J.; Prough, Russell A.

2016-01-01

Nuclear receptors are transcription factors which sense changing environmental or hormonal signals and effect transcriptional changes to regulate core life functions including growth, development, and reproduction. To support this function, following ligand-activation by xenobiotics, members of subfamily 1 nuclear receptors (NR1s) may heterodimerize with the retinoid X receptor (RXR) to regulate transcription of genes involved in energy and xenobiotic metabolism and inflammation. Several of these receptors including the peroxisome proliferator-activated receptors (PPARs), the pregnane and xenobiotic receptor (PXR), the constitutive androstane receptor (CAR), the liver X receptor (LXR) and the farnesoid X receptor (FXR) are key regulators of the gut:liver:adipose axis and serve to coordinate metabolic responses across organ systems between the fed and fasting states. Non-alcoholic fatty liver disease (NAFLD) is the most common liver disease and may progress to cirrhosis and even hepatocellular carcinoma. NAFLD is associated with inappropriate nuclear receptor function and perturbations along the gut:liver:adipose axis including obesity, increased intestinal permeability with systemic inflammation, abnormal hepatic lipid metabolism, and insulin resistance. Environmental chemicals may compound the problem by directly interacting with nuclear receptors leading to metabolic confusion and the inability to differentiate fed from fasting conditions. This review focuses on the impact of nuclear receptors in the pathogenesis and treatment of NAFLD. Clinical trials including PIVENS and FLINT demonstrate that nuclear receptor targeted therapies may lead to the paradoxical dissociation of steatosis, inflammation, fibrosis, insulin resistance, dyslipidemia and obesity. Novel strategies currently under development (including tissue-specific ligands and dual receptor agonists) may be required to separate the beneficial effects of nuclear receptor activation from unwanted metabolic side effects. The impact of nuclear receptor crosstalk in NAFLD is likely to be profound, but requires further elucidation. This article is part of a Special Issue entitled: Xenobiotic nuclear receptors: New Tricks for An Old Dog, edited by Dr. Wen Xie. PMID:26962021

Calculation of the atomic electric dipole moment of Pb2+ induced by nuclear Schiff moment

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Ramachandran, S. M.; Latha, K. V. P.; Meenakshisundaram, N.

2017-07-01

We report the atomic electric dipole moment induced by the P, T violating interactions in the nuclear/sub-nuclear level, for 207Pb2+ and 207Pb, owing to the recent interest in the ferroelectric crystal PbTiO3 as one of the candidates for investigating macroscopic P, T-odd effects. In this paper, we calculate the atomic electric dipole moments of 207Pb and Pb2+, parametrized in terms of the P, T-odd coupling parameter, the nuclear Schiff moment (NSM), S, in the frame-work of the coupled-perturbed Hartree-Fock theory. We estimate the Schiff moment of Pb2+ using the experimental result of a system, which is electronically similar to the Pb2+ ion. We present the dominant contributions of the electric dipole moment (EDM) matrix elements and the important correlation effects contributing to the atomic EDM of Pb2+. Our results provide the first ever calculated EDM of the Pb2+ ion, and an estimate of its NSM from which the P, T-odd energy shift in a PbTiO3 crystal can be evaluated.

Quantum nuclear pasta and nuclear symmetry energy

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Fattoyev, F. J.; Horowitz, C. J.; Schuetrumpf, B.

2017-05-01

Complex and exotic nuclear geometries, collectively referred to as "nuclear pasta," are expected to appear naturally in dense nuclear matter found in the crusts of neutron stars and supernovae environments. The pasta geometries depend on the average baryon density, proton fraction, and temperature and are critically important in the determination of many transport properties of matter in supernovae and the crusts of neutron stars. Using a set of self-consistent microscopic nuclear energy density functionals, we present the first results of large scale quantum simulations of pasta phases at baryon densities 0.03 ≤ρ ≤0.10 fm-3 , proton fractions 0.05 ≤Yp≤0.40 , and zero temperature. The full quantum simulations, in particular, allow us to thoroughly investigate the role and impact of the nuclear symmetry energy on pasta configurations. We use the Sky3D code that solves the Skyrme Hartree-Fock equations on a three-dimensional Cartesian grid. For the nuclear interaction we use the state-of-the-art UNEDF1 parametrization, which was introduced to study largely deformed nuclei, hence is suitable for studies of the nuclear pasta. Density dependence of the nuclear symmetry energy is simulated by tuning two purely isovector observables that are insensitive to the current available experimental data. We find that a minimum total number of nucleons A =2000 is necessary to prevent the results from containing spurious shell effects and to minimize finite size effects. We find that a variety of nuclear pasta geometries are present in the neutron star crust, and the result strongly depends on the nuclear symmetry energy. The impact of the nuclear symmetry energy is less pronounced as the proton fractions increase. Quantum nuclear pasta calculations at T =0 MeV are shown to get easily trapped in metastable states, and possible remedies to avoid metastable solutions are discussed.

Experiment in multiple-criteria energy policy analysis

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Ho, J. K.

1980-07-01

An international panel of energy analysts participated in an experiment to use HOPE (holistic preference evaluation): an interactive parametric linear programming method for multiple criteria optimization. The criteria of cost, environmental effect, crude oil, and nuclear fuel were considered, according to BESOM: an energy model for the US in the year 2000.

Dependence of Fusion Barrier Heights on the Difference of Proton and Neutron Radii

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Dobrowolski, A.; Pomorski, K.; Bartel, J.

2005-04-01

Using the Skyrme effective nucleon--nucleon interaction together with the semiclassical Extended Thomas--Fermi approach (ETF) we investigate the relative change of the fusion barrier heights for the reaction 16O+208Pb as function of the nuclear proton or neutron radii of the colliding nuclei.

Quantum mechanical theory of dynamic nuclear polarization in solid dielectrics.

PubMed

Hu, Kan-Nian; Debelouchina, Galia T; Smith, Albert A; Griffin, Robert G

2011-03-28

Microwave driven dynamic nuclear polarization (DNP) is a process in which the large polarization present in an electron spin reservoir is transferred to nuclei, thereby enhancing NMR signal intensities. In solid dielectrics there are three mechanisms that mediate this transfer--the solid effect (SE), the cross effect (CE), and thermal mixing (TM). Historically these mechanisms have been discussed theoretically using thermodynamic parameters and average spin interactions. However, the SE and the CE can also be modeled quantum mechanically with a system consisting of a small number of spins and the results provide a foundation for the calculations involving TM. In the case of the SE, a single electron-nuclear spin pair is sufficient to explain the polarization mechanism, while the CE requires participation of two electrons and a nuclear spin, and can be used to understand the improved DNP enhancements observed using biradical polarizing agents. Calculations establish the relations among the electron paramagnetic resonance (EPR) and nuclear magnetic resonance (NMR) frequencies and the microwave irradiation frequency that must be satisfied for polarization transfer via the SE or the CE. In particular, if δ, Δ < ω(0I), where δ and Δ are the homogeneous linewidth and inhomogeneous breadth of the EPR spectrum, respectively, we verify that the SE occurs when ω(M) = ω(0S) ± ω(0I), where ω(M), ω(0S) and ω(0I) are, respectively, the microwave, and the EPR and NMR frequencies. Alternatively, when Δ > ω(0I) > δ, the CE dominates the polarization transfer. This two-electron process is optimized when ω(0S(1))-ω(0S(2)) = ω(0I) and ω(M)~ω(0S(1)) or ω(0S(2)), where ω(0S(1)) and ω(0S(2)) are the EPR Larmor frequencies of the two electrons. Using these matching conditions, we calculate the evolution of the density operator from electron Zeeman order to nuclear Zeeman order for both the SE and the CE. The results provide insights into the influence of the microwave irradiation field, the external magnetic field, and the electron-electron and electron-nuclear interactions on DNP enhancements.

Probing nuclear matter with jet conversions

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Liu, W.; Fries, R. J.

2008-05-01

We discuss the flavor of leading jet partons as a valuable probe of nuclear matter. We point out that the coupling of jets to nuclear matter naturally leads to an alteration of jet chemistry even at high transverse momentum pT. In particular, quantum chromodynamics (QCD) jets coupling to a chemically equilibrated quark gluon plasma in nuclear collisions will lead to hadron ratios at high transverse momentum pT that can differ significantly from their counterparts in p+p collisions. Flavor measurements could complement energy loss as a way to study interactions of hard QCD jets with nuclear matter. Roughly speaking they probe the inverse mean free path 1/λ while energy loss probes the average squared momentum transfer μ2/λ. We present some estimates for the rate of jet conversions in a consistent Fokker-Planck framework and their impact on future high-pT identified hadron measurements at RHIC and LHC. We also suggest some novel observables to test flavor effects.

Integration and Utilization of Nuclear Systems on the Moon and Mars

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Houts, Michael G.; Schmidt, George R.; Bragg-Sitton, Shannon

2006-01-20

Over the past five decades numerous studies have identified nuclear energy as an enhancing or enabling technology for planetary surface exploration missions. This includes both radioisotope and fission sources for providing both heat and electricity. Nuclear energy sources were used to provide electricity on Apollo missions 12, 14, 15, 16, and 17, and on the Mars Viking landers. Very small nuclear energy sources were used to provide heat on the Mars Pathfinder, Spirit, and Opportunity rovers. Research has been performed at NASA MSFC to help assess potential issues associated with surface nuclear energy sources, and to generate data that couldmore » be useful to a future program. Research areas include System Integration, use of Regolith as Radiation Shielding, Waste Heat Rejection, Surface Environmental Effects on the Integrated System, Thermal Simulators, Surface System Integration / Interface / Interaction Testing, End-to-End Breadboard Development, Advanced Materials Development, Surface Energy Source Coolants, and Planetary Surface System Thermal Management and Control. This paper provides a status update on several of these research areas.« less

LINE-1 silencing by retinoblastoma proteins is effected through the nucleosomal and remodeling deacetylase multiprotein complex.

PubMed

Montoya-Durango, Diego E; Ramos, Kenneth A; Bojang, Pasano; Ruiz, Lorell; Ramos, Irma N; Ramos, Kenneth S

2016-01-25

Long Interspersed Nuclear Element-1 (L1) is an oncogenic mammalian retroelement silenced early in development via tightly controlled epigenetic mechanisms. We have previously shown that the regulatory region of human and murine L1s interact with retinoblastoma (RB) proteins to effect retroelement silencing. The present studies were conducted to identify the corepressor complex responsible for RB-mediated silencing of L1. Chromatin immunoprecipitation and silencing RNA technology were used to identify the repressor complex that silences L1 in human and murine cells. Components of the Nucleosomal and Remodeling Deacetylase (NuRD) multiprotein complex specifically enriched the L1 5'-untranslated DNA sequence in human and murine cells. Genetic ablation of RB proteins in murine cells destabilized interactions within the NuRD macromolecular complex and mediated nuclear rearrangement of Mi2-β, an ATP-dependent helicase subunit with nucleosome remodeling activity. Depletion of Mi2-β, RbAP46 and HDAC2 reduced the repressor activity of the NuRD complex and reactivated a synthetic L1 reporter in human cells. Epigenetic reactivation of L1 in RB-null cells by DNA damage was markedly enhanced compared to wild type cells. RB proteins stabilize interactions of the NuRD corepressor complex within the L1 promoter to effect L1 silencing. L1 retroelements may serve as a scaffold on which RB builds heterochromatic regions that regulate chromatin function.

Thymosin α1 Interacts with Exposed Phosphatidylserine in Membrane Models and in Cells and Uses Serum Albumin as a Carrier.

PubMed

Mandaliti, Walter; Nepravishta, Ridvan; Sinibaldi Vallebona, Paola; Pica, Francesca; Garaci, Enrico; Paci, Maurizio

2016-03-15

Thymosin α1 is a peptidic hormone with pleiotropic activity and is used in the therapy of several diseases. It is unstructured in water solution and interacts with negative regions of vesicles by assuming two tracts of helical conformation with a structural break between them. This study reports on Thymosin α1's interaction with mixed phospholipids phosphatidylcholine and phosphatidylserine, the negative component of the membranes, by ¹H and natural abundance ¹⁵N nuclear magnetic resonance (NMR). The results indicate that interaction occurs when the membrane is negatively charged by exposing phosphatidylserine. Moreover, the direct interaction of Thymosin α1 with K562 cells with an overexposure of phosphatidylserine as a consequence of resveratrol-induced apoptosis was conducted. Thymosin α1's interaction with human serum albumin was also investigated by NMR spectroscopy. Steady-state saturation transfer, transfer nuclear Overhauser effect spectroscopy, and diffusion-ordered spectroscopy methodologies all reveal that the C-terminal region of Thymosin α1 is involved in the interaction with serum albumin. These results may shed more light on Thymosin α1's mechanism of action by its insertion in negative regions of membranes due to the exposure of phosphatidylserine. Once Thymosin α1's N-terminus has been inserted into the membrane, the rest may interact with nearby proteins and/or receptors acting as effectors and causing a biological signaling cascade, thus exerting thymosin α1's pleiotropy.

Interaction between adrenaline and dibenzo-18-crown-6: Electrochemical, nuclear magnetic resonance, and theoretical study

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Yu, Zhang-Yu; Liu, Tao; Wang, Xue-Liang

2014-12-01

The interaction between adrenaline (Ad) and dibenzo-18-crown-6 (DB18C6) was studied by cyclic voltammetry, nuclear magnetic resonance spectroscopy, and the theoretical calculations, respectively. The results show that DB18C6 will affect the electron transfer properties of Ad. DB18C6 can form stable supramolecular complexes with Ad through ion-dipole and hydrogen bond interactions.

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Pack, Chan-Gi, E-mail: changipack@amc.seoul.kr; Ahn, Sang-Gun

The cellular response to stress is primarily controlled in cells via transcriptional activation by heat shock factor 1 (HSF1). HSF1 is well-known to form homotrimers for activation upon heat shock and subsequently bind to target DNAs, such as heat-shock elements, by forming stress granules. A previous study demonstrated that nuclear HSF1 and HSF2 molecules in live cells interacted with target DNAs on the stress granules. However, the process underlying the binding interactions of HSF family in cells upon heat shock remains unclear. This study demonstrate for the first time that the interaction kinetics among nuclear HSF1, HSF2, and HSF4 uponmore » heat shock can be detected directly in live cells using dual color fluorescence cross-correlation spectroscopy (FCCS). FCCS analyses indicated that the binding between HSFs was dramatically changed by heat shock. Interestingly, the recovery kinetics of interaction between HSF1 molecules after heat shock could be represented by changes in the relative interaction amplitude and mobility. - Highlights: • The binding interactions among nuclear HSFs were successfully detected. • The binding kinetics between HSF1s during recovery was quantified. • HSF2 and HSF4 strongly formed hetero-complex, even before heat shock. • Nuclear HSF2 and HSF4 bound to HSF1 only after heat shock.« less

Current status of nuclear engineering education

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Palladino, N.J.

1975-09-01

The 65 colleges and universities offering undergraduate degrees in nuclear engineering and the 15 schools offering strong nuclear engineering options are, in general, doing a good job to meet the current spectrum of job opportunities. But, nuclear engineering programs are not producing enough graduates to meet growing demands. They currently receive little aid and support from their customers --industry and government--in the form of scholarships, grants, faculty research support, student thesis and project support, or student summer jobs. There is not enough interaction between industry and universities. Most nuclear engineering programs are geared too closely to the technology of themore » present family of reactors and too little to the future breeder reactors and controlled thermonuclear reactors. In addition, nuclear engineering programs attract too few women and members of minority ethnic groups. Further study of the reasons for this fact is needed so that effective corrective action can be taken. Faculty in nuclear engineering programs should assume greater initiative to provide attractive and objective nuclear energy electives for technical and nontechnical students in other disciplines to improve their technical understanding of the safety and environmental issues involved. More aggressive and persistent efforts must be made by nuclear engineering schools to obtain industry support and involvement in their programs. (auth)« less

NNDC Databases

Science.gov Websites

radiation. It includes an interactive chart of nuclides and a level plotting tool. XUNDL Experimental Unevaluated Nuclear Data List Experimental nuclear structure and decay data, covering more than 2,500 recent parameters* Retrieved information CSISRS alias EXFOR Nuclear reaction experimental data Experimental nuclear

Target fragmentation in radiobiology

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Wilson, John W.; Cucinotta, Francis A.; Shinn, Judy L.; Townsend, Lawrence W.

1993-01-01

Nuclear reactions in biological systems produce low-energy fragments of the target nuclei seen as local high events of linear energy transfer (LET). A nuclear-reaction formalism is used to evaluate the nuclear-induced fields within biosystems and their effects within several biological models. On the basis of direct ionization interaction, one anticipates high-energy protons to have a quality factor and relative biological effectiveness (RBE) of unity. Target fragmentation contributions raise the effective quality factor of 10 GeV protons to 3.3 in reasonable agreement with RBE values for induced micronuclei in bean sprouts. Application of the Katz model indicates that the relative increase in RBE with decreasing exposure observed in cell survival experiments with 160 MeV protons is related solely to target fragmentation events. Target fragment contributions to lens opacity given an RBE of 1.4 for 2 GeV protons in agreement with the work of Lett and Cox. Predictions are made for the effective RBE for Harderian gland tumors induced by high-energy protons. An exposure model for lifetime cancer risk is derived from NCRP 98 risk tables, and protraction effects are examined for proton and helium ion exposures. The implications of dose rate enhancement effects on space radiation protection are considered.

Inherited mitochondrial DNA variants can affect complement, inflammation and apoptosis pathways: insights into mitochondrial–nuclear interactions

PubMed Central

Cristina Kenney, M.; Chwa, Marilyn; Atilano, Shari R.; Falatoonzadeh, Payam; Ramirez, Claudio; Malik, Deepika; Tarek, Mohamed; Cáceres-del-Carpio, Javier; Nesburn, Anthony B.; Boyer, David S.; Kuppermann, Baruch D.; Vawter, Marquis; Michal Jazwinski, S.; Miceli, Michael; Wallace, Douglas C.; Udar, Nitin

2014-01-01

Age-related macular degeneration (AMD) is the leading cause of vision loss in developed countries. While linked to genetic polymorphisms in the complement pathway, there are many individuals with high risk alleles that do not develop AMD, suggesting that other ‘modifiers’ may be involved. Mitochondrial (mt) haplogroups, defined by accumulations of specific mtDNA single nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs) which represent population origins, may be one such modifier. J haplogroup has been associated with high risk for AMD while the H haplogroup is protective. It has been difficult to assign biological consequences for haplogroups so we created human ARPE-19 cybrids (cytoplasmic hybrids), which have identical nuclei but mitochondria of either J or H haplogroups, to investigate their effects upon bioenergetics and molecular pathways. J cybrids have altered bioenergetic profiles compared with H cybrids. Q-PCR analyses show significantly lower expression levels for seven respiratory complex genes encoded by mtDNA. J and H cybrids have significantly altered expression of eight nuclear genes of the alternative complement, inflammation and apoptosis pathways. Sequencing of the entire mtDNA was carried out for all the cybrids to identify haplogroup and non-haplogroup defining SNPs. mtDNA can mediate cellular bioenergetics and expression levels of nuclear genes related to complement, inflammation and apoptosis. Sequencing data suggest that observed effects are not due to rare mtDNA variants but rather the combination of SNPs representing the J versus H haplogroups. These findings represent a paradigm shift in our concepts of mt–nuclear interactions. PMID:24584571

Nuclear ``pasta'' formation

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Schneider, A. S.; Horowitz, C. J.; Hughto, J.; Berry, D. K.

2013-12-01

The formation of complex nonuniform phases of nuclear matter, known as nuclear pasta, is studied with molecular dynamics (MD) simulations containing 51200 nucleons. A phenomenological nuclear interaction is used that reproduces the saturation binding energy and density of nuclear matter. Systems are prepared at an initial density of 0.10fm-3 and then the density is decreased by expanding the simulation volume at different rates to densities of 0.01fm-3 or less. An originally uniform system of nuclear matter is observed to form spherical bubbles (“swiss cheese”), hollow tubes, flat plates (“lasagna”), thin rods (“spaghetti”) and, finally, nearly spherical nuclei with decreasing density. We explicitly observe nucleation mechanisms, with decreasing density, for these different pasta phase transitions. Topological quantities known as Minkowski functionals are obtained to characterize the pasta shapes. Different pasta shapes are observed depending on the expansion rate. This indicates nonequilibrium effects. We use this to determine the best ways to obtain lower energy states of the pasta system from MD simulations and to place constraints on the equilibration time of the system.

The Evolution of Soft Collinear Effective Theory

DOE PAGES

Lee, Christopher

2015-02-25

Soft Collinear Effective Theory (SCET) is an effective field theory of Quantum Chromodynamics (QCD) for processes where there are energetic, nearly lightlike degrees of freedom interacting with one another via soft radiation. SCET has found many applications in high-energy and nuclear physics, especially in recent years the physics of hadronic jets in e +e -, lepton-hadron, hadron-hadron, and heavy-ion collisions. SCET can be used to factorize multi-scale cross sections in these processes into single-scale hard, collinear, and soft functions, and to evolve these through the renormalization group to resum large logarithms of ratios of the scales that appear in themore » QCD perturbative expansion, as well as to study properties of nonperturbative effects. We overview the elementary concepts of SCET and describe how they can be applied in high-energy and nuclear physics.« less

Multinuclear Detection of Nuclear Spin Optical Rotation at Low Field.

PubMed

Zhu, Yue; Gao, Yuheng; Rodocker, Shane; Savukov, Igor; Hilty, Christian

2018-06-06

We describe the multinuclear detection of nuclear spin optical rotation (NSOR), an effect dependent on the hyperfine interaction between nuclear spins and electrons. Signals of 1 H and 19 F are discriminated by frequency in a single spectrum acquired at sub-millitesla field. The simultaneously acquired optical signal along with the nuclear magnetic resonance signal allows the calculation of the relative magnitude of the NSOR constants corresponding to different nuclei within the sample molecules. This is illustrated by a larger NSOR signal measured at the 19 F frequency despite a smaller corresponding spin concentration. Second, it is shown that heteronuclear J-coupling is observable in the NSOR signal, which can be used to retrieve chemical information. Multinuclear frequency and J resolution can localize optical signals in the molecule. Properties of electronic states at multiple sites in a molecule may therefore ultimately be determined by frequency-resolved NSOR spectroscopy at low field.

Direct Observation of Nanoparticle-Cancer Cell Nucleus Interactions

PubMed Central

Dam, Duncan Hieu M.; Lee, Jung Heon; Sisco, Patrick N.; Co, Dick T.; Zhang, Ming; Wasielewski, Michael R.; Odom, Teri W.

2012-01-01

We report the direct visualization of interactions between drug-loaded nanoparticles and the cancer cell nucleus. Nanoconstructs composed of nucleolin-specific aptamers and gold nanostars were actively transported to the nucleus and induced major changes to the nuclear phenotype via nuclear envelope invaginations near the site of the construct. The number of local deformations could be increased by ultra-fast, light-triggered release of the aptamers from the surface of the gold nanostars. Cancer cells with more nuclear envelope folding showed increased caspase 3 and 7 activity (apoptosis) as well as decreased cell viability. This newly revealed correlation between drug-induced changes in nuclear phenotype and increased therapeutic efficacy could provide new insight for nuclear-targeted cancer therapy. PMID:22424173

Dissipatively Stabilized Quantum Sensor Based on Indirect Nuclear-Nuclear Interactions

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Chen, Q.; Schwarz, I.; Plenio, M. B.

2017-07-01

We propose to use a dissipatively stabilized nitrogen vacancy (NV) center as a mediator of interaction between two nuclear spins that are protected from decoherence and relaxation of the NV due to the periodical resets of the NV center. Under ambient conditions this scheme achieves highly selective high-fidelity quantum gates between nuclear spins in a quantum register even at large NV-nuclear distances. Importantly, this method allows for the use of nuclear spins as a sensor rather than a memory, while the NV spin acts as an ancillary system for the initialization and readout of the sensor. The immunity to the decoherence and relaxation of the NV center leads to a tunable sharp frequency filter while allowing at the same time the continuous collection of the signal to achieve simultaneously high spectral selectivity and high signal-to-noise ratio.

Nuclear Physics Research at ELI-NP

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Zamfir, N. V.

2018-05-01

The new research facility Extreme Light Infrastructure - Nuclear Physics (ELI-NP) is under construction in Romania, on the Magurele Physics campus. Valued more than 300 Meuros the center will be operational in 2019. The research center will use a high brilliance Gamma Beam and a High-power Laser beam, with unprecedented characteristics worldwide, to investigate the interaction of very intense radiation with matter with specific focus on nuclear phenomena and their applications. The energetic particle beams and radiation produced by the 2x10 PW laser beam interacting with matter will be studied. The precisely tunable energy and excellent bandwidth of the gamma-ray beam will allow for new experimental approaches regarding nuclear astrophysics, nuclear resonance fluorescence, and applications. The experimental equipment is presented, together with the main directions of the research envisioned with special emphasizes on nuclear physics studies.

Neutrino Spectra from Nuclear Weak Interactions in sd-Shell Nuclei under Astrophysical Conditions

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Misch, G. Wendell; Sun, Yang; Fuller, George M.

2018-01-01

We present shell model calculations of nuclear neutrino energy spectra for 70 sd-shell nuclei over the mass number range A = 21–35. Our calculations include nuclear excited states as appropriate for the hot and dense conditions characteristic of pre-collapse massive stars. We consider neutrinos produced by charged lepton captures and decays, and for the first time in tabular form, neutral current nuclear deexcitation, providing neutrino energy spectra on the Fuller–Fowler–Newman temperature–density grid for these interaction channels for each nucleus. We use the full sd-shell model space to compute initial nuclear states up to 20 MeV excitation with transitions to final states up to 35–40 MeV, employing a modification of the Brink-Axel hypothesis to handle high-temperature population factors and the nuclear partition functions.

Electromagnetic Dissociation and Spacecraft Electronics Damage

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Norbury, John W.

2016-01-01

When protons or heavy ions from galactic cosmic rays (GCR) or solar particle events (SPE) interact with target nuclei in spacecraft, there can be two different types of interactions. The more familiar strong nuclear interaction often dominates and is responsible for nuclear fragmentation in either the GCR or SPE projectile nucleus or the spacecraft target nucleus. (Of course, the proton does not break up, except possibly to produce pions or other hadrons.) The less familiar, second type of interaction is due to the very strong electromagnetic fields that exist when two charged nuclei pass very close to each other. This process is called electromagnetic dissociation (EMD) and primarily results in the emission of neutrons, protons and light ions (isotopes of hydrogen and helium). The cross section for particle production is approximately defined as the number of particles produced in nucleus-nucleus collisions or other types of reactions. (There are various kinematic and other factors which multiply the particle number to arrive at the cross section.) Strong, nuclear interactions usually dominate the nuclear reactions of most interest that occur between GCR and target nuclei. However, for heavy nuclei (near Fe and beyond) at high energy the EMD cross section can be much larger than the strong nuclear interaction cross section. This paper poses a question: Are there projectile or target nuclei combinations in the interaction of GCR or SPE where the EMD reaction cross section plays a dominant role? If the answer is affirmative, then EMD mechanisms should be an integral part of codes that are used to predict damage to spacecraft electronics. The question can become more fine-tuned and one can ask about total reaction cross sections as compared to double differential cross sections. These issues will be addressed in the present paper.

Nuclear resonance scattering of synchrotron radiation as a unique electronic, structural and thermodynamic probe

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Alp, E. Ercan; Sturhahn, Wolfgang; Toellner, Thomas S.

2012-05-09

Discovery of Moessbauer effect in a nuclear transition was a remarkable development. It revealed how long-lived nuclear states with relatively low energies in the kiloelectron volt (keV) region can be excited without recoil. This new effect had a unique feature involving a coupling between nuclear physics and solid-state physics, both in terms of physics and sociology. Physics coupling originates from the fact that recoilless emission and absorption or resonance is only possible if the requirement that nuclei have to be bound in a lattice with quantized vibrational states is fulfilled, and that the finite electron density on the nucleus couplesmore » to nuclear degrees of freedom leading to hyperfine interactions. thus, Moessbauer spectroscopy allows peering into solid-state effects using unique nuclear transitions. Sociological aspects of this coupling had been equally startling and fruitful. The interaction between diverse scientific communities, who learned to use Moessbauer spectroscopy proved to be very valuable. For example, biologists, geologists, chemists, physics, materials scientists, and archeologists, all sharing a common spectroscopic technique, also learned to appreciate the beauty and intricacies of each other's fields. As a laboratory-based technique, Moessbauer spectroscopy matured by the end of the 1970s. Further exciting developments took place when accelerator-based techniques were employed, like synchrotron radiation or 'in-beam'Moessbauer experiments with implanted radioactive ions. More recently, two Moessbauer spectrometers on the surface of the Mars kept the technique vibrant and viable up until present time. In this chapter, the authors look into some of the unique aspects of nuclear resonance excited with synchrotron radiation as a probe of condensed matter, including magnetism, valence, vibrations, and lattice dynamics, and review the development of nuclear resonance inelastic x-ray scattering (NRIXS) and synchrotron Moessbauer spectroscopy (SMS). However, to place these two techniques into some perspective with respect to other methods that yield related information, they display their version of a frequently used map of momentum and energy transfer diagram in figure 17.1. Here, various probes like electrons, neutrons, or light, i.e., Brillouin or Raman, and relatively newer forms of X-ray scattering are placed according to their range of energy and momentum transfer taking place during the measurements. Accordingly, NRIXS is a method that needs to be considered as a complementary probe to inelastic neutron and X-ray scattering, while SMS occupies a unique space due to its sensitivity to magnetism, structural deformations, valence, and spin states.« less

Tyrosine dephosphorylation enhances the therapeutic target activity of epidermal growth factor receptor (EGFR) by disrupting its interaction with estrogen receptor (ER).

PubMed

Ma, Shao; Yin, Ning; Qi, Xiaomei; Pfister, Sandra L; Zhang, Mei-Jie; Ma, Rong; Chen, Guan

2015-05-30

Protein-protein interactions can increase or decrease its therapeutic target activity and the determining factors involved, however, are largely unknown. Here, we report that tyrosine-dephosphorylation of epidermal growth factor receptor (EGFR) increases its therapeutic target activity by disrupting its interaction with estrogen receptor (ER). Protein tyrosine phosphatase H1 (PTPH1) dephosphorylates the tyrosine kinase EGFR, disrupts its interaction with the nuclear receptor ER, and increases breast cancer sensitivity to small molecule tyrosine kinase inhibitors (TKIs). These effects require PTPH1 catalytic activity and its interaction with EGFR, suggesting that the phosphatase may increase the sensitivity by dephosphorylating EGFR leading to its dissociation with ER. Consistent with this notion, a nuclear-localization defective ER has a higher EGFR-binding activity and confers the resistance to TKI-induced growth inhibition. Additional analysis show that PTPH1 stabilizes EGFR, stimulates the membranous EGFR accumulation, and enhances the growth-inhibitory activity of a combination therapy of TKIs with an anti-estrogen. Since EGFR and ER both are substrates for PTPH1 in vitro and in intact cells, these results indicate that an inhibitory EGFR-ER protein complex can be switched off through a competitive enzyme-substrate binding. Our results would have important implications for the treatment of breast cancer with targeted therapeutics.

Design and Mechanical Stability Analysis of the Interaction Region for the Inverse Compton Scattering Gamma-Ray Source Using Finite Element Method

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Khizhanok, Andrei

Development of a compact source of high-spectral brilliance and high impulse frequency gamma rays has been in scope of Fermi National Accelerator Laboratory for quite some time. Main goal of the project is to develop a setup to support gamma rays detection test and gamma ray spectroscopy. Potential applications include but not limited to nuclear astrophysics, nuclear medicine, oncology ('gamma knife'). Present work covers multiple interconnected stages of development of the interaction region to ensure high levels of structural strength and vibrational resistance. Inverse Compton scattering is a complex phenomenon, in which charged particle transfers a part of its energy to a photon. It requires extreme precision as the interaction point is estimated to be 20 microm. The slightest deflection of the mirrors will reduce effectiveness of conversion by orders of magnitude. For acceptable conversion efficiency laser cavity also must have >1000 finesse value, which requires a trade-off between size, mechanical stability, complexity, and price of the setup. This work focuses on advantages and weak points of different designs of interaction regions as well as in-depth description of analyses performed. This includes laser cavity amplification and finesse estimates, natural frequency mapping, harmonic analysis. Structural analysis is required as interaction must occur under high vacuum conditions.

Influence of a doping by Al stainless steel on kinetics and character of interaction with the metallic nuclear fuel

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Nikitin, S. N.; Shornikov, D. P.; Tarasov, B. A.; Baranov, V. G.

2016-04-01

Metallic nuclear fuel is a perspective kind of fuel for fast reactors. In this paper we conducted a study of the interaction between uranium-molybdenum alloy and ferritic- martensitic steels with additions of aluminum at a temperature of 700 ° C for 25 hours. The rate constants of the interaction layer growth at 700 °C is about 2.8.10-14 m2/s. It is established that doping Al stainless steel leads to decrease in interaction with uranium-molybdenum alloys. The phase composition of the interaction layer is determined.

PRIC320, a transcription coactivator, isolated from peroxisome proliferator-binding protein complex.

PubMed

Surapureddi, Sailesh; Viswakarma, Navin; Yu, Songtao; Guo, Dongsheng; Rao, M Sambasiva; Reddy, Janardan K

2006-05-05

Ciprofibrate, a potent peroxisome proliferator, induces pleiotropic responses in liver by activating peroxisome proliferator-activated receptor alpha (PPARalpha), a nuclear receptor. Transcriptional regulation by liganded nuclear receptors involves the participation of coregulators that form multiprotein complexes possibly to achieve cell and gene specific transcription. SDS-PAGE and matrix-assisted laser desorption/ionization reflection time-of-flight mass spectrometric analyses of ciprofibrate-binding proteins from liver nuclear extracts obtained using ciprofibrate-Sepharose affinity matrix resulted in the identification of a new high molecular weight nuclear receptor coactivator, which we designated PRIC320. The full-length human cDNA encoding this protein has an open-reading frame that codes for a 320kDa protein containing 2882 amino acids. PRIC320 contains five LXXLL signature motifs that mediate interaction with nuclear receptors. PRIC320 binds avidly to nuclear receptors PPARalpha, CAR, ERalpha, and RXR, but only minimally with PPARgamma. PRIC320 also interacts with transcription cofactors CBP, PRIP, and PBP. Immunoprecipitation-immunoblotting as well as cellular localization studies confirmed the interaction between PPARalpha and PRIC320. PRIC320 acts as a transcription coactivator by stimulating PPARalpha-mediated transcription. We conclude that ciprofibrate, a PPARalpha ligand, binds a multiprotein complex and PRIC320 cloned from this complex functions as a nuclear receptor coactivator.

Structural basis for nuclear import complex dissociation by RanGTP.

PubMed

Lee, Soo Jae; Matsuura, Yoshiyuki; Liu, Sai Man; Stewart, Murray

2005-06-02

Nuclear protein import is mediated mainly by the transport factor importin-beta that binds cytoplasmic cargo, most often via the importin-alpha adaptor, and then transports it through nuclear pore complexes. This active transport is driven by disassembly of the import complex by nuclear RanGTP. The switch I and II loops of Ran change conformation with nucleotide state, and regulate its interactions with nuclear trafficking components. Importin-beta consists of 19 HEAT repeats that are based on a pair of antiparallel alpha-helices (referred to as the A- and B-helices). The HEAT repeats stack to yield two C-shaped arches, linked together to form a helicoidal molecule that has considerable conformational flexibility. Here we present the structure of full-length yeast importin-beta (Kap95p or karyopherin-beta) complexed with RanGTP, which provides a basis for understanding the crucial cargo-release step of nuclear import. We identify a key interaction site where the RanGTP switch I loop binds to the carboxy-terminal arch of Kap95p. This interaction produces a change in helicoidal pitch that locks Kap95p in a conformation that cannot bind importin-alpha or cargo. We suggest an allosteric mechanism for nuclear import complex disassembly by RanGTP.

Effect of Tensor Range in Nuclear Two-Body Problems

DOE R&D Accomplishments Database

Feshbach, H.; Schwinger, J.; Harr, J. A.

1949-11-01

The interaction between neutron and proton in the triplet state is investigated, a wide variation in the values of both central and tensor ranges are included; the per cent D state in the deuteron and the effective triplet range have been computed; the results are applied tot he discussion of the magnetic moment of the deuteron, the photoelectric disintegration of the deuteron, and neutron-proton scattering.

NUCLEAR CHEMISTRY ANNUAL REPORT 1970

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Authors, Various

Papers are presented for the following topics: (1) Nuclear Structure and Nuclear Properties - (a) Nuclear Spectroscopy and Radioactivity; (b) Nuclear Reactions and Scattering; (c) Nuclear Theory; and (d) Fission. (2) Chemical and Atomic Physics - (a) Atomic and Molecular Spectroscopy; and (b) Hyperfine Interactions. (3) Physical, Inorganic, and Analytical Chemistry - (a) X-Ray Crystallography; (b) Physical and Inorganic Chemistry; (c) Radiation Chemistry; and (d) Chemical Engineering. (4) Instrumentation and Systems Development.

A nuclear fraction of turnip crinkle virus capsid protein is important for elicitation of the host resistance response.

PubMed

Kang, Sung-Hwan; Qu, Feng; Morris, T Jack

2015-12-02

The N-terminal 25 amino acids (AAs) of turnip crinkle virus (TCV) capsid protein (CP) are recognized by the resistance protein HRT to trigger a hypersensitive response (HR) and systemic resistance to TCV infection. This same region of TCV CP also contains a motif that interacts with the transcription factor TIP, as well as a nuclear localization signal (NLS). However, it is not yet known whether nuclear localization of TCV CP is needed for the induction of HRT-mediated HR and resistance. Here we present new evidence suggesting a tight correlation between nuclear inclusions formed by CP and the manifestation of HR. We show that a fraction of TCV CP localized to cell nuclei to form discrete inclusion-like structures, and a mutated CP (R6A) known to abolish HR failed to form nuclear inclusions. Notably, TIP-CP interaction augments the inclusion-forming activity of CP by tethering inclusions to the nuclear membrane. This TIP-mediated augmentation is also critical for HR resistance, as another CP mutant (R8A) known to elicit a less restrictive HR, though still self-associated into nuclear inclusions, failed to direct inclusions to the nuclear membrane due to its inability to interact with TIP. Finally, exclusion of CP from cell nuclei abolished induction of HR. Together, these results uncovered a strong correlation between nuclear localization and nuclear inclusion formation by TCV CP and induction of HR, and suggest that CP nuclear inclusions could be the key trigger of the HRT-dependent, yet TIP-reinforced, resistance to TCV. Copyright © 2015 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

HYPERFINE STRUCTURES AND NUCLEAR MOMENTS OF Lu$sup 176$m, Br$sup 80$, Br$sup 80$m, AND I$sup 132$ (thesis)

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

White, M.B.

1962-09-01

The method of atomic-beam radiofrequency spectroscopy was used to determine some nuclear and atomic properties of Lu/sup 176m/, Br/sup 80/, Br/sup 80m/, and I/sup 132/. Hyperfine structure me asurements were raade to determine the magnetic dipole interaction constants and the electric quadrupole interaction constants of all these isotopes. Also the nuclear spin and the electronic g/sub J/ factor were measured for Lu/sup 176m/, and the nuclear magnetic dipole moments and the electric quadrupole moments for the isotopes were calculated. All results are listed. 62 references. (auth)

The electron-spin--nuclear-spin interaction studied by polarized neutron scattering.

PubMed

Stuhrmann, Heinrich B

2007-11-01

Dynamic nuclear spin polarization (DNP) is mediated by the dipolar interaction of paramagnetic centres with nuclear spins. This process is most likely to occur near paramagnetic centres at an angle close to 45 degrees with respect to the direction of the external magnetic field. The resulting distribution of polarized nuclear spins leads to an anisotropy of the polarized neutron scattering pattern, even with randomly oriented radical molecules. The corresponding cross section of polarized coherent neutron scattering in terms of a multipole expansion is derived for radical molecules in solution. An application using data of time-resolved polarized neutron scattering from an organic chromium(V) molecule is tested.

Schizophrenia, vitamin D, and brain development.

PubMed

Mackay-Sim, Alan; Féron, François; Eyles, Darryl; Burne, Thomas; McGrath, John

2004-01-01

Schizophrenia research is invigorated at present by the recent discovery of several plausible candidate susceptibility genes identified from genetic linkage and gene expression studies of brains from persons with schizophrenia. It is a current challenge to reconcile this gathering evidence for specific candidate susceptibility genes with the "neurodevelopmental hypothesis," which posits that schizophrenia arises from gene-environment interactions that disrupt brain development. We make the case here that schizophrenia may result not from numerous genes of small effect, but a few genes of transcriptional regulation acting during brain development. In particular we propose that low vitamin D during brain development interacts with susceptibility genes to alter the trajectory of brain development, probably by epigenetic regulation that alters gene expression throughout adult life. Vitamin D is an attractive "environmental" candidate because it appears to explain several key epidemiological features of schizophrenia. Vitamin D is an attractive "genetic" candidate because its nuclear hormone receptor regulates gene expression and nervous system development. The polygenic quality of schizophrenia, with linkage to many genes of small effect, maybe brought together via this "vitamin D hypothesis." We also discuss the possibility of a broader set of environmental and genetic factors interacting via the nuclear hormone receptors to affect the development of the brain leading to schizophrenia.

Propensity for HBZ-SP1 isoform of HTLV-I to inhibit c-Jun activity correlates with sequestration of c-Jun into nuclear bodies rather than inhibition of its DNA-binding activity

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Clerc, Isabelle, E-mail: isabelle.clerc@univ-montp1.f; CNRS, UM5236, CPBS, F-34965 Montpellier; Universite Montpellier 2, CPBS, F-34095 Montpellier

2009-09-01

HTLV-I bZIP factor (HBZ) contains a C-terminal zipper domain involved in its interaction with c-Jun. This interaction leads to a reduction of c-Jun DNA-binding activity and prevents the protein from activating transcription of AP-1-dependent promoters. However, it remained unclear whether the negative effect of HBZ-SP1 was due to its weak DNA-binding activity or to its capacity to target cellular factors to transcriptionally-inactive nuclear bodies. To answer this question, we produced a mutant in which specific residues present in the modulatory and DNA-binding domain of HBZ-SP1 were substituted for the corresponding c-Fos amino acids to improve the DNA-binding activity of themore » c-Jun/HBZ-SP1 heterodimer. The stability of the mutant, its interaction with c-Jun, DNA-binding activity of the resulting heterodimer, and its effect on the c-Jun activity were tested. In conclusion, we demonstrate that the repression of c-Jun activity in vivo is mainly due to the HBZ-SP1-mediated sequestration of c-Jun to the HBZ-NBs.« less

The function of the inner nuclear envelope protein SUN1 in mRNA export is regulated by phosphorylation.

PubMed

Li, Ping; Stumpf, Maria; Müller, Rolf; Eichinger, Ludwig; Glöckner, Gernot; Noegel, Angelika A

2017-08-22

SUN1, a component of the LINC (Linker of Nucleoskeleton and Cytoskeleton) complex, functions in mammalian mRNA export through the NXF1-dependent pathway. It associates with mRNP complexes by direct interaction with NXF1. It also binds to the NPC through association with the nuclear pore component Nup153, which is involved in mRNA export. The SUN1-NXF1 association is at least partly regulated by a protein kinase C (PKC) which phosphorylates serine 113 (S113) in the N-terminal domain leading to reduced interaction. The phosphorylation appears to be important for the SUN1 function in nuclear mRNA export since GFP-SUN1 carrying a S113A mutation was less efficient in restoring mRNA export after SUN1 knockdown as compared to the wild type protein. By contrast, GFP-SUN1-S113D resembling the phosphorylated state allowed very efficient export of poly(A)+RNA. Furthermore, probing a possible role of the LINC complex component Nesprin-2 in this process we observed impaired mRNA export in Nesprin-2 knockdown cells. This effect might be independent of SUN1 as expression of a GFP tagged SUN-domain deficient SUN1, which no longer can interact with Nesprin-2, did not affect mRNA export.

Nucleocytoplasmic trafficking of Nipah virus W protein involves multiple discrete interactions with the nuclear import and export machinery.

PubMed

Audsley, Michelle D; Jans, David A; Moseley, Gregory W

2016-10-21

Paramyxoviruses replicate in the cytoplasm with no obvious requirement to interact with the nucleus. Nevertheless, the W protein of the highly lethal bat-borne paramyxovirus Nipah virus (NiV) is known to undergo specific targeting to the nucleus, mediated by a single nuclear localisation signal (NLS) within the C-terminal domain. Here, we report for the first time that additional sites modulate nucleocytoplasmic localisation of W. We show that the N-terminal domain interacts with importin α1 and contributes to nuclear accumulation of W, indicative of a novel N-terminal NLS. We also find that W undergoes exportin-1 mediated nuclear export, dependent on a leucine at position 174. Together, these data enable significant revision of the generally accepted model of W trafficking, with implications for understanding of the mechanisms of NiV immune evasion. Copyright © 2016 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

A review: applications of the phase field method in predicting microstructure and property evolution of irradiated nuclear materials

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Li, Yulan; Hu, Shenyang; Sun, Xin

Here, complex microstructure changes occur in nuclear fuel and structural materials due to the extreme environments of intense irradiation and high temperature. This paper evaluates the role of the phase field method in predicting the microstructure evolution of irradiated nuclear materials and the impact on their mechanical, thermal, and magnetic properties. The paper starts with an overview of the important physical mechanisms of defect evolution and the significant gaps in simulating microstructure evolution in irradiated nuclear materials. Then, the phase field method is introduced as a powerful and predictive tool and its applications to microstructure and property evolution in irradiatedmore » nuclear materials are reviewed. The review shows that (1) Phase field models can correctly describe important phenomena such as spatial-dependent generation, migration, and recombination of defects, radiation-induced dissolution, the Soret effect, strong interfacial energy anisotropy, and elastic interaction; (2) The phase field method can qualitatively and quantitatively simulate two-dimensional and three-dimensional microstructure evolution, including radiation-induced segregation, second phase nucleation, void migration, void and gas bubble superlattice formation, interstitial loop evolution, hydrate formation, and grain growth, and (3) The Phase field method correctly predicts the relationships between microstructures and properties. The final section is dedicated to a discussion of the strengths and limitations of the phase field method, as applied to irradiation effects in nuclear materials.« less

A review: applications of the phase field method in predicting microstructure and property evolution of irradiated nuclear materials

DOE PAGES

Li, Yulan; Hu, Shenyang; Sun, Xin; ...

2017-04-14

Here, complex microstructure changes occur in nuclear fuel and structural materials due to the extreme environments of intense irradiation and high temperature. This paper evaluates the role of the phase field method in predicting the microstructure evolution of irradiated nuclear materials and the impact on their mechanical, thermal, and magnetic properties. The paper starts with an overview of the important physical mechanisms of defect evolution and the significant gaps in simulating microstructure evolution in irradiated nuclear materials. Then, the phase field method is introduced as a powerful and predictive tool and its applications to microstructure and property evolution in irradiatedmore » nuclear materials are reviewed. The review shows that (1) Phase field models can correctly describe important phenomena such as spatial-dependent generation, migration, and recombination of defects, radiation-induced dissolution, the Soret effect, strong interfacial energy anisotropy, and elastic interaction; (2) The phase field method can qualitatively and quantitatively simulate two-dimensional and three-dimensional microstructure evolution, including radiation-induced segregation, second phase nucleation, void migration, void and gas bubble superlattice formation, interstitial loop evolution, hydrate formation, and grain growth, and (3) The Phase field method correctly predicts the relationships between microstructures and properties. The final section is dedicated to a discussion of the strengths and limitations of the phase field method, as applied to irradiation effects in nuclear materials.« less

Mechanisms and dynamics of nuclear lamina-genome interactions.

PubMed

Amendola, Mario; van Steensel, Bas

2014-06-01

The nuclear lamina (NL) interacts with the genomic DNA and is thought to influence chromosome organization and gene expression. Both DNA sequences and histone modifications are important for NL tethering of the genomic DNA. These interactions are dynamic in individual cells and can change during differentiation and development. Evidence is accumulating that the NL contributes to the repression of transcription. Advances in mapping, genome-editing and microscopy techniques are increasing our understanding of the molecular mechanisms involved in NL-genome interactions. Copyright © 2014 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

Reagan and the Nuclear Freeze: "Stars Wars" as a Rhetorical Strategy.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Bjork, Rebecca S.

1988-01-01

Analyzes the interaction between nuclear freeze activists and proponents of a Strategic Defense Initiative (SDI). Argues that SDI strengthens Reagan's rhetorical position concerning nuclear weapons policy because it reduces the argumentative ground of the freeze movement by envisioning a defensive weapons system that would nullify nuclear weapons.…

SMILE, a new orphan nuclear receptor SHP-interacting protein, regulates SHP-repressed estrogen receptor transactivation.

PubMed

Xie, Yuan-Bin; Lee, Ok-Hee; Nedumaran, Balachandar; Seong, Hyun-A; Lee, Kyeong-Min; Ha, Hyunjung; Lee, In-Kyu; Yun, Yungdae; Choi, Hueng-Sik

2008-12-15

SHP (small heterodimer partner) is a well-known NR (nuclear receptor) co-regulator. In the present study, we have identified a new SHP-interacting protein, termed SMILE (SHP-interacting leucine zipper protein), which was previously designated as ZF (Zhangfei) via a yeast two-hybrid system. We have determined that the SMILE gene generates two isoforms [SMILE-L (long isoform of SMILE) and SMILE-S (short isoform of SMILE)]. Mutational analysis has demonstrated that the SMILE isoforms arise from the alternative usage of initiation codons. We have confirmed the in vivo interaction and co-localization of the SMILE isoforms and SHP. Domain-mapping analysis indicates that the entire N-terminus of SHP and the middle region of SMILE-L are involved in this interaction. Interestingly, the SMILE isoforms counteract the SHP repressive effect on the transactivation of ERs (estrogen receptors) in HEK-293T cells (human embryonic kidney cells expressing the large T-antigen of simian virus 40), but enhance the SHP-repressive effect in MCF-7, T47D and MDA-MB-435 cells. Knockdown of SMILE gene expression using siRNA (small interfering RNA) in MCF-7 cells increases ER-mediated transcriptional activity. Moreover, adenovirus-mediated overexpression of SMILE and SHP down-regulates estrogen-induced mRNA expression of the critical cell-cycle regulator E2F1. Collectively, these results indicate that SMILE isoforms regulate the inhibition of ER transactivation by SHP in a cell-type-specific manner and act as a novel transcriptional co-regulator in ER signalling.

Nature of Interactions between PEO-PPO-PEO Triblock Copolymers and Lipid Membranes: (I) The Effect of Polymer Hydrophobicity on Its Ability to Protect Liposomes from Peroxidation

PubMed Central

Wang, Jia-Yu; Marks, Jeremy; Lee, Ka Yee C.

2013-01-01

PEO-PPO-PEO triblock copolymers have opposing effects on lipid membrane integrity- they can behave either as membrane sealants or as membrane permeabilizers. To gain insights into their biomembrane activities, the fundamental interactions between a series of PEO-based polymers and phospholipid vesicles were investigated. Specifically, the effect of copolymer hydrophobicity on its ability to prevent liposomes from peroxidation was evaluated, and partitioning free energy and coefficient involved in the interactions were derived. Our results show that the high degree of hydrophilicity is a key feature of the copolymers that can effectively protect liposomes from peroxidation and the protective effect of the copolymers stems from their adsorption at the membrane surface without penetrating into the bilayer core. The origin of this protective effect induced by polymer absorption is attributed to the retardation of membrane hydration dynamics, which is further illustrated in the accompany study on dynamic nuclear polarization (DNP)-derived hydration dynamics1. PMID:22808900

Interaction of dengue virus nonstructural protein 5 with Daxx modulates RANTES production

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Khunchai, Sasiprapa; Graduate Program in Immunology, Department of Immunology, Faculty of Medicine Siriraj Hospital, Mahidol University, Bangkok; Junking, Mutita

Highlights: Black-Right-Pointing-Pointer For the first time how DENV NS5 increases RANTES production. Black-Right-Pointing-Pointer DENV NS5 physically interacts with human Daxx. Black-Right-Pointing-Pointer Nuclear localization of NS5 is required for Daxx interaction and RANTES production. -- Abstract: Dengue fever (DF), dengue hemorrhagic fever (DHF), and dengue shock syndrome (DSS), caused by dengue virus (DENV) infection, are important public health problems in the tropical and subtropical regions. Abnormal hemostasis and plasma leakage are the main patho-physiological changes in DHF/DSS. A remarkably increased production of cytokines, the so called 'cytokine storm', is observed in the patients with DHF/DSS. A complex interaction between DENV proteinsmore » and the host immune response contributes to cytokine production. However, the molecular mechanism(s) by which DENV nonstructural protein 5 (NS5) mediates these responses has not been fully elucidated. In the present study, yeast two-hybrid assay was performed to identify host proteins interacting with DENV NS5 and a death-domain-associate protein (Daxx) was identified. The in vivo relevance of this interaction was suggested by co-immunoprecipitation and nuclear co-localization of these two proteins in HEK293 cells expressing DENV NS5. HEK293 cells expressing DENV NS5-K/A, which were mutated at the nuclear localization sequences (NLS), were created to assess its functional roles in nuclear translocation, Daxx interaction, and cytokine production. In the absence of NLS, DENV NS5 could neither translocate into the nucleus nor interact with Daxx to increase the DHF-associated cytokine, RANTES (CCL5) production. This work demonstrates the interaction between DENV NS5 and Daxx and the role of the interaction on the modulation of RANTES production.« less

Inhibition of nuclear factor kappaB proteins-platinated DNA interactions correlates with cytotoxic effectiveness of the platinum complexes

PubMed Central

Brabec, Viktor; Kasparkova, Jana; Kostrhunova, Hana; Farrell, Nicholas P.

2016-01-01

Nuclear DNA is the target responsible for anticancer activity of platinum anticancer drugs. Their activity is mediated by altered signals related to programmed cell death and the activation of various signaling pathways. An example is activation of nuclear factor kappaB (NF-κB). Binding of NF-κB proteins to their consensus sequences in DNA (κB sites) is the key biochemical activity responsible for the biological functions of NF-κB. Using gel-mobility-shift assays and surface plasmon resonance spectroscopy we examined the interactions of NF-κB proteins with oligodeoxyribonucleotide duplexes containing κB site damaged by DNA adducts of three platinum complexes. These complexes markedly differed in their toxic effects in tumor cells and comprised highly cytotoxic trinuclear platinum(II) complex BBR3464, less cytotoxic conventional cisplatin and ineffective transplatin. The results indicate that structurally different DNA adducts of these platinum complexes exhibit a different efficiency to affect the affinity of the platinated DNA (κB sites) to NF-κB proteins. Our results support the hypothesis that structural perturbations induced in DNA by platinum(II) complexes correlate with their higher efficiency to inhibit binding of NF-κB proteins to their κB sites and cytotoxicity as well. However, the full generalization of this hypothesis will require to evaluate a larger series of platinum(II) complexes. PMID:27574114

Inhibition of nuclear factor kappaB proteins-platinated DNA interactions correlates with cytotoxic effectiveness of the platinum complexes.

PubMed

Brabec, Viktor; Kasparkova, Jana; Kostrhunova, Hana; Farrell, Nicholas P

2016-08-30

Nuclear DNA is the target responsible for anticancer activity of platinum anticancer drugs. Their activity is mediated by altered signals related to programmed cell death and the activation of various signaling pathways. An example is activation of nuclear factor kappaB (NF-κB). Binding of NF-κB proteins to their consensus sequences in DNA (κB sites) is the key biochemical activity responsible for the biological functions of NF-κB. Using gel-mobility-shift assays and surface plasmon resonance spectroscopy we examined the interactions of NF-κB proteins with oligodeoxyribonucleotide duplexes containing κB site damaged by DNA adducts of three platinum complexes. These complexes markedly differed in their toxic effects in tumor cells and comprised highly cytotoxic trinuclear platinum(II) complex BBR3464, less cytotoxic conventional cisplatin and ineffective transplatin. The results indicate that structurally different DNA adducts of these platinum complexes exhibit a different efficiency to affect the affinity of the platinated DNA (κB sites) to NF-κB proteins. Our results support the hypothesis that structural perturbations induced in DNA by platinum(II) complexes correlate with their higher efficiency to inhibit binding of NF-κB proteins to their κB sites and cytotoxicity as well. However, the full generalization of this hypothesis will require to evaluate a larger series of platinum(II) complexes.

Interactions between nuclear polyhedrosis virus and Nosema sp. infecting gypsy moth

Treesearch

L. S. Bauer; M. McManus; J. Maddox

1991-01-01

Nuclear polyhedrosis virus (NPV) is the only entomopathogen that plays an important role in the natural regulation of North American gypsy moth populations. Recent European studies suggest that populations of gypsy moth in Eurasia are regulated primarily by the interactions between NPV and several species of microsporidia. Researchers have proposed that the...

Inner-Shell Electron Recoil Discrimination in Xenon

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Trask, Makayla; Lippincott, Hugh; Baxter, Dan

2017-01-01

\\bulletmore » $$$$ Dark matter searches using time projection chambers (TPCs) rely on the ability to distinguish between nuclear and electron interactions $$$$ Xenon TPCs are specifically searching for a low energy nuclear recoil ( < 30 keV ) signal $$$$ To do this, these interactions must be discernable from the electron recoil background« less

Proliferation of Small Nuclear Forces.

DTIC Science & Technology

1983-04-30

character of conflict, arm control issues, conventional arms competition and U.S. forces; 3) Assess how new nuclear powers will behave and how their...neighbors 0and other nuclear powers will react; "--- 5) Identify the likely patterns and outcars of nuclear and other military interaction, including...Regional Nuclear Powers , 1990-2010 A small nuclear force (SNF) would comprise at a minimum from 5 to 10 deliverable and militarily serviceable fission

Septin 9 isoform 1 (SEPT9_i1) specifically interacts with importin-α7 to drive hypoxia-inducible factor (HIF)-1α nuclear translocation.

PubMed

Tazat, Keren; Schindler, Susanne; Deppeing, Reinhard; Mabjeesh, Nicola J

2018-05-09

We have shown previously that septin 9 isoform 1 (SEPT9_i1) protein associates with hypoxia-inducible factor (HIF)-1α to augment HIF-1 transcriptional activity by driving its importin-α-mediated nuclear translocation. Using in vitro and in vivo binding assays we identified that HIF-1α interacts with importin-α5 and importin-α7 in prostate cancer cells but only importin-α7 interacts with SEPT9_i1. The interaction with importin-α7 was dependent on the first 25 amino acids of SEPT9_i1 that are unique compared to other members of the mammalian septin family. Depletion of endogenous importin-α7 reduced nuclear HIF-1α levels in the nucleus. Our results provide evidence that there are importin-α specificities in the cytosolic/nuclear translocation process of HIF-1α protein, which may act differently under certain pathophysiological circumstances where SEPT9_i1 is overexpressed. This article is protected by copyright. All rights reserved. © 2018 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.

Global transport of atmospheric smoke following a major nuclear exchange

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Haberle, R. M.; Ackerman, T. P.; Toon, O. B.; Hollingsworth, J. L.

1985-01-01

A fully interactive zonally symmetric general circulation model is used to simulate the transport and evolution of a massive smoke cloud that is likely to form in the atmosphere following a major nuclear war. The presence of such a cloud significantly alters the simulated circulation and the subsequent transport of the smoke particles themselves. While the model indicates a tendency for interhemispheric exchange, the most immediate effect is that the radiatively active particles are carried into the stratosphere by the generation of strong vertical motions and intense convection regardless of their initial injection altitudes.

Understanding Core-Collapse Supernovae

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Hix, W. R.; Lentz, E. J.; Baird, M.; Messer, O. E. B.; Mezzacappa, A.; Lee, C.-T.; Bruenn, S. W.; Blondin, J. M.; Marronetti, P.

2010-03-01

Our understanding of core-collapse supernovae continues to improve as better microphysics is included in increasingly realistic neutrino-radiationhydrodynamic simulations. Recent multi-dimensional models with spectral neutrino transport, which slowly develop successful explosions for a range of progenitors between 12 and 25 solar mass, have motivated changes in our understanding of the neutrino reheating mechanism. In a similar fashion, improvements in nuclear physics, most notably explorations of weak interactions on nuclei and the nuclear equation of state, continue to refine our understanding of how supernovae explode. Recent progresses on both the macroscopic and microscopic effects that affect core-collapse supernovae are discussed.

Global transport of atmospheric smoke following a major nuclear exchange

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Haberle, Robert M.; Ackerman, Thomas P.; Toon, Owen B.; Hollingsworth, Jeffery L.

A fully interactive zonally symmetric general circulation model is used to simulate the transport and evolution of a massive smoke cloud that is likely to form in the atmosphere following a major nuclear war. The presence of such a cloud significantly alters the simulated circulation and the subsequent transport of the smoke particles themselves. While the model indicates a tendency for interhemispheric exchange, the most immediate effect is that the radiatively active particles are carried into the stratosphere by the generation of strong vertical motions and intense convection regardless of their initial injection altitudes.

FBI-1 enhances transcription of the nuclear factor-kappaB (NF-kappaB)-responsive E-selectin gene by nuclear localization of the p65 subunit of NF-kappaB.

PubMed

Lee, Dong-Kee; Kang, Jae-Eun; Park, Hye-Jin; Kim, Myung-Hwa; Yim, Tae-Hee; Kim, Jung-Min; Heo, Min-Kyu; Kim, Kyu-Yeun; Kwon, Ho Jeong; Hur, Man-Wook

2005-07-29

The POZ domain is a highly conserved protein-protein interaction motif found in many regulatory proteins. Nuclear factor-kappaB (NF-kappaB) plays a key role in the expression of a variety of genes in response to infection, inflammation, and stressful conditions. We found that the POZ domain of FBI-1 (factor that binds to the inducer of short transcripts of human immunodeficiency virus-1) interacted with the Rel homology domain of the p65 subunit of NF-kappaB in both in vivo and in vitro protein-protein interaction assays. FBI-1 enhanced NF-kappaB-mediated transcription of E-selectin genes in HeLa cells upon phorbol 12-myristate 13-acetate stimulation and overcame gene repression by IkappaB alpha or IkappaB beta. In contrast, the POZ domain of FBI-1, which is a dominant-negative form of FBI-1, repressed NF-kappaB-mediated transcription, and the repression was cooperative with IkappaB alpha or IkappaB beta. In contrast, the POZ domain tagged with a nuclear localization sequence polypeptide of FBI-1 enhanced NF-kappaB-responsive gene transcription, suggesting that the molecular interaction between the POZ domain and the Rel homology domain of p65 and the nuclear localization by the nuclear localization sequence are important in the transcription enhancement mediated by FBI-1. Confocal microscopy showed that FBI-1 increased NF-kappaB movement into the nucleus and increased the stability of NF-kappaB in the nucleus, which enhanced NF-kappaB-mediated transcription of the E-selectin gene. FBI-1 also interacted with IkappaB alpha and IkappaB beta.

Electronic structures and magnetic/optical properties of metal phthalocyanine complexes

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Baba, Shintaro; Suzuki, Atsushi, E-mail: suzuki@mat.usp.ac.jp; Oku, Takeo

2016-02-01

Electronic structures and magnetic / optical properties of metal phthalocyanine complexes were studied by quantum calculations using density functional theory. Effects of central metal and expansion of π orbital on aromatic ring as conjugation system on the electronic structures, magnetic, optical properties and vibration modes of infrared and Raman spectra of metal phthalocyanines were investigated. Electron and charge density distribution and energy levels near frontier orbital and excited states were influenced by the deformed structures varied with central metal and charge. The magnetic parameters of chemical shifts in {sup 13}C-nuclear magnetic resonance ({sup 13}C-NMR), principle g-tensor, A-tensor, V-tensor of electricmore » field gradient and asymmetry parameters derived from the deformed structures with magnetic interaction of nuclear quadruple interaction based on electron and charge density distribution with a bias of charge near ligand under crystal field.« less

Electric dipole moment of the deuteron in the standard model with NN - ΛN - ΣN coupling

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Yamanaka, Nodoka

2017-07-01

We calculate the electric dipole moment (EDM) of the deuteron in the standard model with | ΔS | = 1 interactions by taking into account the NN - ΛN - ΣN channel coupling, which is an important nuclear level systematics. The two-body problem is solved with the Gaussian Expansion Method using the realistic Argonne v18 nuclear force and the YN potential which can reproduce the binding energies of Λ3H, Λ3He, and Λ4He. The | ΔS | = 1 interbaryon potential is modeled by the one-meson exchange process. It is found that the deuteron EDM is modified by less than 10%, and the main contribution to this deviation is due to the polarization of the hyperon-nucleon channels. The effect of the YN interaction is small, and treating ΛN and ΣN channels as free is a good approximation for the EDM of the deuteron.

Photo nuclear energy loss term for muon-nucleus interactions based on xi scaling model of QCD

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Roychoudhury, R.

1985-01-01

Extensive air showers (EMC) experiments discovered a significant deviation of the ratio of structure functions of iron and deuteron from unity. It was established that the quark parton distribution in nuclei are different from the corresponding distribution in the nucleus. It was examined whether these results have an effect on the calculation of photo nucleus energy loss term for muon-nucleus nuclear interaction. Though the EMC and SLAC data were restricted to rather large q sq region it is expected that the derivation would persist even in the low q sq domain. For the ratio of iron and deuteron structure function a rather naive least square fit of the form R(x) = a + bx was taken and it is assumed that the formula is valid for the whole q sq region the absence of any knowledge of R(x) for small q sq.

Mammalian autophagy degrades nuclear constituents in response to tumorigenic stress.

PubMed

Dou, Zhixun; Ivanov, Andrejs; Adams, Peter D; Berger, Shelley L

2016-08-02

During autophagy, double-membrane autophagosomes are observed in the cytoplasm. Thus, extensive studies have focused on autophagic turnover of cytoplasmic material. Whether autophagy has a role in degrading nuclear constituents is poorly understood. We reveal that the autophagy protein LC3/Atg8 directly interacts with the nuclear lamina protein LMNB1 (lamin B1), and binds to LMN/lamin-associated chromatin domains (LADs). Through these interactions, autophagy specifically mediates destruction of nuclear lamina during tumorigenic stress, such as by activated oncogenes and DNA damage. This nuclear lamina degradation upon aberrant cellular stress impairs cell proliferation by inducing cellular senescence, a stable form of cell-cycle arrest and a tumor-suppressive mechanism. Our findings thus suggest that, in response to cancer-promoting stress, autophagy degrades nuclear material to drive cellular senescence, as a means to restrain tumorigenesis. Our work provokes a new direction in studying the role of autophagy in the nucleus and in tumor suppression.

Nuclear Mechanics and Stem Cell Differentiation.

PubMed

Mao, Xinjian; Gavara, Nuria; Song, Guanbin

2015-12-01

Stem cells are characterized by their self-renewal and multi-lineage differentiation potential. Stem cell differentiation is a prerequisite for the application of stem cells in regenerative medicine and clinical therapy. In addition to chemical stimulation, mechanical cues play a significant role in regulating stem cell differentiation. The integrity of mechanical sensors is necessary for the ability of cells to respond to mechanical signals. The nucleus, the largest and stiffest cellular organelle, interacts with the cytoskeleton as a key mediator of cell mechanics. Nuclear mechanics are involved in the complicated interactions of lamins, chromatin and nucleoskeleton-related proteins. Thus, stem cell differentiation is intimately associated with nuclear mechanics due to its indispensable role in mechanotransduction and mechanical response. This paper reviews several main contributions of nuclear mechanics, highlights the hallmarks of the nuclear mechanics of stem cells, and provides insight into the relationship between nuclear mechanics and stem cell differentiation, which may guide clinical applications in the future.

Anthropogenic Space Weather

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Gombosi, T. I.; Baker, D. N.; Balogh, A.; Erickson, P. J.; Huba, J. D.; Lanzerotti, L. J.

2017-11-01

Anthropogenic effects on the space environment started in the late 19th century and reached their peak in the 1960s when high-altitude nuclear explosions were carried out by the USA and the Soviet Union. These explosions created artificial radiation belts near Earth that resulted in major damages to several satellites. Another, unexpected impact of the high-altitude nuclear tests was the electromagnetic pulse (EMP) that can have devastating effects over a large geographic area (as large as the continental United States). Other anthropogenic impacts on the space environment include chemical release experiments, high-frequency wave heating of the ionosphere and the interaction of VLF waves with the radiation belts. This paper reviews the fundamental physical process behind these phenomena and discusses the observations of their impacts.

Dynamics of Galectin-3 in the Nucleus and Cytoplasm

PubMed Central

Haudek, Kevin C.; Spronk, Kimberly J.; Voss, Patricia G.; Patterson, Ronald J.; Wang, John L.; Arnoys, Eric J.

2009-01-01

This review summarizes selected studies on galectin-3 (Gal3) as an example of the dynamic behavior of a carbohydrate-binding protein in the cytoplasm and nucleus of cells. Within the 15-member galectin family of proteins, Gal3 (Mr ~30,000) is the sole representative of the chimera subclass in which a proline- and glycine-rich NH2-terminal domain is fused onto a COOH-terminal carbohydrate recognition domain responsible for binding galactose-containing glycoconjugates. The protein shuttles between the cytoplasm and nucleus on the basis of targeting signals that are recognized by importin(s) for nuclear localization and exportin-1 (CRM1) for nuclear export. Depending on the cell type, specific experimental conditions in vitro, or tissue location, Gal3 has been reported to be exclusively cytoplasmic, predominantly nuclear, or distributed between the two compartments. The nuclear versus cytoplasmic distribution of the protein must reflect, then, some balance between nuclear import and export, as well as mechanisms of cytoplasmic anchorage or binding to a nuclear component. Indeed, a number of ligands have been reported for Gal3 in the cytoplasm and in the nucleus. Most of the ligands appear to bind Gal3, however, through protein-protein interactions rather than through protein-carbohydrate recognition. In the cytoplasm, for example, Gal3 interacts with the apoptosis repressor Bcl-2 and this interaction may be involved in Gal3’s anti-apoptotic activity. In the nucleus, Gal3 is a required pre-mRNA splicing factor; the protein is incorporated into spliceosomes via its association with the U1 small nuclear ribonucleoprotein (snRNP) complex. Although the majority of these interactions occur via the carbohydrate recognition domain of Gal3 and saccharide ligands such as lactose can perturb some of these interactions, the significance of the protein’s carbohydrate-binding activity, per se, remains a challenge for future investigations. PMID:19616076

Observation of zero-point quantum fluctuations of a single-molecule magnet through the relaxation of its nuclear spin bath.

PubMed

Morello, A; Millán, A; de Jongh, L J

2014-03-21

A single-molecule magnet placed in a magnetic field perpendicular to its anisotropy axis can be truncated to an effective two-level system, with easily tunable energy splitting. The quantum coherence of the molecular spin is largely determined by the dynamics of the surrounding nuclear spin bath. Here we report the measurement of the nuclear spin-lattice relaxation rate 1/T1n in a single crystal of the single-molecule magnet Mn12-ac, at T ≈ 30 mK in perpendicular fields B⊥ up to 9 T. The relaxation channel at B ≈ 0 is dominated by incoherent quantum tunneling of the Mn12-ac spin S, aided by the nuclear bath itself. However for B⊥>5 T we observe an increase of 1/T1n by several orders of magnitude up to the highest field, despite the fact that the molecular spin is in its quantum mechanical ground state. This striking observation is a consequence of the zero-point quantum fluctuations of S, which allow it to mediate the transfer of energy from the excited nuclear spin bath to the crystal lattice at much higher rates. Our experiment highlights the importance of quantum fluctuations in the interaction between an "effective two-level system" and its surrounding spin bath.

Interplay Between Cytoplasmic and Nuclear Androgen Receptor Splice Variants Mediate Castration Resistance

PubMed Central

Zhan, Yang; Zhang, Guanyi; Wang, Xiaojie; Qi, Yanfeng; Bai, Shanshan; Li, Dongying; Ma, Tianfang; Sartor, Oliver; Flemington, Erik K.; Zhang, Haitao; Lee, Peng; Dong, Yan

2016-01-01

Androgen receptor splice variants (AR-Vs) are implicated in resistance of prostate cancer to androgen-directed therapies. When expressed alone in cells, some AR-Vs (e.g., AR-V7) localize primarily to the nucleus, whereas others (e.g., AR-V1, AR-V4, and AR-V6) localize mainly to the cytoplasm. Significantly, the latter are often co-expressed with the nucleus-predominant AR-Vs and the full-length AR (AR-FL). An important question to be addressed is whether the cytoplasmic-localized AR-Vs play a role in castration-resistant prostate cancer (CRPC) through interaction with the nucleus-predominant AR-Vs and AR-FL. Here, it is demonstrated that AR-V1, -V4, and -V6 can dimerize with both AR-V7 and AR-FL. Consequently, AR-V7 and androgen-bound AR-FL induced nuclear localization of AR-V1, -V4, and -V6, and these variants, in turn, mitigated the ability of the anti-androgen enzalutamide to inhibit androgen-induced AR-FL nuclear localization. Interestingly, the impact of nuclear localization of AR-V4 and -V6 on AR transactivation differs from that of AR-V1. Nuclear localization leads to an increased ability of AR-V4 and -V6 to transactivate both canonical AR targets and AR-V-specific targets and to confer castration-resistant cell growth. However, while AR-V1, which lacks inherent transcriptional activity, appears to activate AR-FL in an androgen-independent manner, it significantly antagonizes AR-V7 transactivation. Together, these data demonstrate that the complex interactions among different AR-Vs and AR-FL play a significant role in castration resistant disease. Implications This study suggests important consequences for clinical castration resistance due to simultaneous expression of AR-FL and AR-Vs in patient tumors and suggests that dissecting these interactions should help develop effective strategies to disrupt AR-V signaling. PMID:27671337

Computational applications of the many-interacting-worlds interpretation of quantum mechanics.

PubMed

Sturniolo, Simone

2018-05-01

While historically many quantum-mechanical simulations of molecular dynamics have relied on the Born-Oppenheimer approximation to separate electronic and nuclear behavior, recently a great deal of interest has arisen in quantum effects in nuclear dynamics as well. Due to the computational difficulty of solving the Schrödinger equation in full, these effects are often treated with approximate methods. In this paper, we present an algorithm to tackle these problems using an extension to the many-interacting-worlds approach to quantum mechanics. This technique uses a kernel function to rebuild the probability density, and therefore, in contrast with the approximation presented in the original paper, it can be naturally extended to n-dimensional systems. This opens up the possibility of performing quantum ground-state searches with steepest-descent methods, and it could potentially lead to real-time quantum molecular-dynamics simulations. The behavior of the algorithm is studied in different potentials and numbers of dimensions and compared both to the original approach and to exact Schrödinger equation solutions whenever possible.

Proton-induced knockout reactions with polarized and unpolarized beams

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Wakasa, T.; Ogata, K.; Noro, T.

2017-09-01

Proton-induced knockout reactions provide a direct means of studying the single particle or cluster structures of target nuclei. In addition, these knockout reactions are expected to play a unique role in investigations of the effects of the nuclear medium on nucleon-nucleon interactions as well as the properties of nucleons and mesons. However, due to the nature of hadron probes, these reactions can suffer significant disturbances from the nuclear surroundings and the quantitative theoretical treatment of such processes can also be challenging. In this article, we review the experimental and theoretical progress in this field, particularly focusing on the use of these reactions as a spectroscopic tool and as a way to examine the medium modification of nucleon-nucleon interactions. With regard to the former aspect, the review presents a semi-quantitative evaluation of these reactions based on existing experimental data. In terms of the latter point, we introduce a significant body of evidence that suggests, although does not conclusively prove, the existence of medium effects. In addition, this paper also provides information and comments on other related subjects.

Many body effects in nuclear matter QCD sum rules

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Drukarev, E. G.; Ryskin, M. G.; Sadovnikova, V. A.

2017-12-01

We calculate the single-particle nucleon characteristics in symmetric nuclear matter with inclusion of the 3N and 4N interactions. We calculated the contribution of the 3N interactions earlier, now we add that of the 4N ones. The contribution of the 4N forces to nucleon self energies is expressed in terms of the nonlocal scalar condensate (d = 3) and of the configurations of the vector-scalar and the scalar-scalar quark condensates (d = 6) in which two diquark operators act on two different nucleons of the matter.These four-quark condensates are obtained in the model-independent way. The density dependence of the nucleon effective mass, of the vector self energy and of the single-particle potential energy are obtained. We traced the dependence of the nucleon characteristics on the actual value of the pion-nucleon sigma term. We obtained also the nucleon characteristics in terms of the quasifree nucleons, with the noninteracting nucleons surrounded by their pion clouds as the starting point. This approach leads to strict hierarchy of the many body forces.

Influence of nuclear interactions in body tissues on tumor dose in carbon-ion radiotherapy

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Inaniwa, T., E-mail: taku@nirs.go.jp; Kanematsu, N.; Tsuji, H.

2015-12-15

Purpose: In carbon-ion radiotherapy treatment planning, the planar integrated dose (PID) measured in water is applied to the patient dose calculation with density scaling using the stopping power ratio. Since body tissues are chemically different from water, this dose calculation can be subject to errors, particularly due to differences in inelastic nuclear interactions. In recent studies, the authors proposed and validated a PID correction method for these errors. In the present study, the authors used this correction method to assess the influence of these nuclear interactions in body tissues on tumor dose in various clinical cases. Methods: Using 10–20 casesmore » each of prostate, head and neck (HN), bone and soft tissue (BS), lung, liver, pancreas, and uterine neoplasms, the authors first used treatment plans for carbon-ion radiotherapy without nuclear interaction correction to derive uncorrected dose distributions. The authors then compared these distributions with recalculated distributions using the nuclear interaction correction (corrected dose distributions). Results: Median (25%/75% quartiles) differences between the target mean uncorrected doses and corrected doses were 0.2% (0.1%/0.2%), 0.0% (0.0%/0.0%), −0.3% (−0.4%/−0.2%), −0.1% (−0.2%/−0.1%), −0.1% (−0.2%/0.0%), −0.4% (−0.5%/−0.1%), and −0.3% (−0.4%/0.0%) for the prostate, HN, BS, lung, liver, pancreas, and uterine cases, respectively. The largest difference of −1.6% in target mean and −2.5% at maximum were observed in a uterine case. Conclusions: For most clinical cases, dose calculation errors due to the water nonequivalence of the tissues in nuclear interactions would be marginal compared to intrinsic uncertainties in treatment planning, patient setup, beam delivery, and clinical response. In some extreme cases, however, these errors can be substantial. Accordingly, this correction method should be routinely applied to treatment planning in clinical practice.« less

Nuclear reactions from lattice QCD

DOE PAGES

Briceño, Raúl A.; Davoudi, Zohreh; Luu, Thomas C.

2015-01-13

In this study, one of the overarching goals of nuclear physics is to rigorously compute properties of hadronic systems directly from the fundamental theory of strong interactions, Quantum Chromodynamics (QCD). In particular, the hope is to perform reliable calculations of nuclear reactions which will impact our understanding of environments that occur during big bang nucleosynthesis, the evolution of stars and supernovae, and within nuclear reactors and high energy/density facilities. Such calculations, being truly ab initio, would include all two-nucleon and three- nucleon (and higher) interactions in a consistent manner. Currently, lattice QCD provides the only reliable option for performing calculationsmore » of some of the low-energy hadronic observables. With the aim of bridging the gap between lattice QCD and nuclear many-body physics, the Institute for Nuclear Theory held a workshop on Nuclear Reactions from Lattice QCD on March 2013. In this review article, we report on the topics discussed in this workshop and the path planned to move forward in the upcoming years.« less

Genome-Nuclear Lamina Interactions Regulate Cardiac Stem Cell Lineage Restriction.

PubMed

Poleshko, Andrey; Shah, Parisha P; Gupta, Mudit; Babu, Apoorva; Morley, Michael P; Manderfield, Lauren J; Ifkovits, Jamie L; Calderon, Damelys; Aghajanian, Haig; Sierra-Pagán, Javier E; Sun, Zheng; Wang, Qiaohong; Li, Li; Dubois, Nicole C; Morrisey, Edward E; Lazar, Mitchell A; Smith, Cheryl L; Epstein, Jonathan A; Jain, Rajan

2017-10-19

Progenitor cells differentiate into specialized cell types through coordinated expression of lineage-specific genes and modification of complex chromatin configurations. We demonstrate that a histone deacetylase (Hdac3) organizes heterochromatin at the nuclear lamina during cardiac progenitor lineage restriction. Specification of cardiomyocytes is associated with reorganization of peripheral heterochromatin, and independent of deacetylase activity, Hdac3 tethers peripheral heterochromatin containing lineage-relevant genes to the nuclear lamina. Deletion of Hdac3 in cardiac progenitor cells releases genomic regions from the nuclear periphery, leading to precocious cardiac gene expression and differentiation into cardiomyocytes; in contrast, restricting Hdac3 to the nuclear periphery rescues myogenesis in progenitors otherwise lacking Hdac3. Our results suggest that availability of genomic regions for activation by lineage-specific factors is regulated in part through dynamic chromatin-nuclear lamina interactions and that competence of a progenitor cell to respond to differentiation signals may depend upon coordinated movement of responding gene loci away from the nuclear periphery. Copyright © 2017 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

Generalized isobaric multiplet mass equation and its application to the Nolen-Schiffer anomaly

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Dong, J. M.; Zhang, Y. H.; Zuo, W.; Gu, J. Z.; Wang, L. J.; Sun, Y.

2018-02-01

The Wigner isobaric multiplet mass equation (IMME) is the most fundamental prediction in nuclear physics with the concept of isospin. However, it was deduced based on the Wigner-Eckart theorem with the assumption that all charge-violating interactions can be written as tensors of rank two. In the present work, the charge-symmetry breaking (CSB) and charge-independent breaking (CIB) components of the nucleon-nucleon force, which contribute to the effective interaction in nuclear medium, are established in the framework of Brueckner theory with AV18 and AV14 bare interactions. Because such charge-violating components can no longer be expressed as an irreducible tensor due to density dependence, its matrix element cannot be analytically reduced by the Wigner-Eckart theorem. With an alternative approach, we derive a generalized IMME (GIMME) that modifies the coefficients of the original IMME. As the first application of GIMME, we study the long-standing question of the origin of the Nolen-Schiffer anomaly (NSA) found in the Coulomb displacement energy of mirror nuclei. We find that the naturally emerged CSB term in GIMME is largely responsible for explaining the NSA.

High resolution Cerenkov and range detectors for balloon-borne cosmic-ray experiment

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Ahlen, S. P.; Cartwright, B. G.; Tarle, G.

1975-01-01

A combination of an active Cerenkov detector and passive range detectors is proposed for the high resolution measurement of isotopic composition in the neighborhood of iron in the galactic cosmic rays. A large area (4,300 sq cm) Cerenkov counter and passive range detectors were tested. Tests with heavy ions (2.1 GeV/amu C-12, 289 MeV/amu Ar-40, and 594 MeV/amu Ne-20) revealed the spatial uniformity of response of the Cerenkov counter to be better than 1% peak-to-peak. Light collection efficiency is independent of projectile energy and incidence angle to within at least 0.5%. Passive Lexan track recorders to measure range in the presence of the nuclear interaction background which results from stopping particles through 0.9 interaction lengths of matter were also tested. It was found that nuclear interactions produce an effective range straggling distribution only approximately 75% wider than that expected from range straggling alone. The combination of these tested techniques makes possible high mass resolution in the neighborhood of iron.

Improved prediction of drug-target interactions using regularized least squares integrating with kernel fusion technique.

PubMed

Hao, Ming; Wang, Yanli; Bryant, Stephen H

2016-02-25

Identification of drug-target interactions (DTI) is a central task in drug discovery processes. In this work, a simple but effective regularized least squares integrating with nonlinear kernel fusion (RLS-KF) algorithm is proposed to perform DTI predictions. Using benchmark DTI datasets, our proposed algorithm achieves the state-of-the-art results with area under precision-recall curve (AUPR) of 0.915, 0.925, 0.853 and 0.909 for enzymes, ion channels (IC), G protein-coupled receptors (GPCR) and nuclear receptors (NR) based on 10 fold cross-validation. The performance can further be improved by using a recalculated kernel matrix, especially for the small set of nuclear receptors with AUPR of 0.945. Importantly, most of the top ranked interaction predictions can be validated by experimental data reported in the literature, bioassay results in the PubChem BioAssay database, as well as other previous studies. Our analysis suggests that the proposed RLS-KF is helpful for studying DTI, drug repositioning as well as polypharmacology, and may help to accelerate drug discovery by identifying novel drug targets. Published by Elsevier B.V.

The benefits of flexible team interaction during crises.

PubMed

Stachowski, Alicia A; Kaplan, Seth A; Waller, Mary J

2009-11-01

Organizations increasingly rely on teams to respond to crises. While research on team effectiveness during nonroutine events is growing, naturalistic studies examining team behaviors during crises are relatively scarce. Furthermore, the relevant literature offers competing theoretical rationales concerning effective team response to crises. In this article, the authors investigate whether high- versus average-performing teams can be distinguished on the basis of the number and complexity of their interaction patterns. Using behavioral observation methodology, the authors coded the discrete verbal and nonverbal behaviors of 14 nuclear power plant control room crews as they responded to a simulated crisis. Pattern detection software revealed systematic differences among crews in their patterns of interaction. Mean comparisons and discriminant function analysis indicated that higher performing crews exhibited fewer, shorter, and less complex interaction patterns. These results illustrate the limitations of standardized response patterns and highlight the importance of team adaptability. Implications for future research and for team training are included.

Energy dependence of the ratio of isovector effective interaction strengths |JστJτ| from 0° (p,n) cross sections

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Taddeucci, T. N.; Rapaport, J.; Bainum, D. E.; Goodman, C. D.; Foster, C. C.; Gaarde, C.; Larsen, J.; Goulding, C. A.; Horen, D. J.; Masterson, T.; Sugarbaker, E.

1982-02-01

Information concerning the ratio of the isovector effective interaction strengths |JστJτ| may be obtained from the ratio of (p,n) Gamow-Teller and isobaric analog state 0° differential cross sections. We have examined 0° (p,n) data for the energy range 5-200 MeV and find that for energies larger than 50 MeV and for targets with A=7-42 the product of the interaction-strength and distortion-factor ratios |JστJτ|(NστNτ)12 appears to be mass independent and linear as a function of bombarding energy. NUCLEAR REACTIONS 7Li, 13, 14C, 26Mg, 37Cl, 41Ca(p,n), measured σ(θ=0°), GT, IAS transitions, Ep=60-200 MeV. Deduced energy dependence, interaction strength ratio |JστJτ|.

Atropisomers of 2,2',3,3',6,6'-hexachlorobiphenyl (PCB 136) exhibit stereoselective effects on activation of nuclear receptors in vitro.

PubMed

Pěnčíková, Kateřina; Brenerová, Petra; Svržková, Lucie; Hrubá, Eva; Pálková, Lenka; Vondráček, Jan; Lehmler, Hans-Joachim; Machala, Miroslav

2017-11-09

PCB 136 is an environmentally relevant chiral PCB congener, which has been found in vivo to be present in form of rotational isomers (atropisomers). Its atropselective biotransformation or neurotoxic effects linked with sensitization of ryanodine receptor suggest that it might interact also with other intracellular receptors in a stereospecific manner. However, possible atropselective effects of PCB 136 on nuclear receptor transactivation remain unknown. Therefore, in this study, atropselective effects of PCB 136 on nuclear receptors controlling endocrine signaling and/or expression of xenobiotic and steroid hormone catabolism were investigated. PCB136 atropisomers were found to exert differential effects on estrogen receptor (ER) activation; (+)-PCB 136 was estrogenic, while (-)-PCB 136 was antiestrogenic. In contrast, inhibition of androgen receptor (AR) activity was not stereospecific. Both PCB136 stereoisomers induced the constitutive androgen receptor (CAR)-dependent gene expression; however, no significant stereospecificity of PCB 136 atropisomers was observed. PCB136 was a partial inducer of the pregnane X receptor (PXR)-dependent gene expression. Here, (-)-PCB 136 was a significantly more potent inducer of PXR activity than (+)-PCB 136. Taken together, the present results indicate that at least two nuclear receptors participating in endocrine regulation or metabolism, ER and PXR, could be regulated in an atropselective manner by chiral PCB 136. The enantioselective enrichment of PCB atropisomers in animal and human tissues may thus have significant consequences for endocrine-disrupting effects of chiral ortho-substituted PCB congeners.

Pion emission in α-particle interactions with various targets of nuclear emulsion detector

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Abdelsalam, A.; Abou-Moussa, Z.; Rashed, N.; M. Badawy, B.; A. Amer, H.; Osman, W.; M. El-Ashmawy, M.; Abdallah, N.

2015-09-01

The behavior of relativistic hadron multiplicity for 4He-nucleus interactions is investigated. The experiment is carried out at 2.1 A and 3.7 A GeV (Dubna energy) to search for the incident energy effect on the interactions inside different emulsion target nuclei. Data are presented in terms of the number of emitted relativistic hadrons in both forward and backward angular zones. The dependence on the target size is presented. For this purpose the statistical events are discriminated into groups according to the interactions with H, CNO, Em, and AgBr target nuclei. The separation of events, into the mentioned groups, is executed based on Glauber's multiple scattering theory approach. Features suggestive of a decay mechanism seem to be a characteristic of the backward emission of relativistic hadrons. The results strongly support the assumption that the relativistic hadrons may already be emitted during the de-excitation of the excited target nucleus, in a behavior like that of compound-nucleus disintegration. Regarding the limiting fragmentation hypothesis beyond 1 A GeV, the target size is the main parameter affecting the backward production of the relativistic hadron. The incident energy is a principal factor responsible for the forward relativistic hadron production, implying that this system of particle production is a creation system. However, the target size is an effective parameter as well as the projectile size considering the geometrical concept regarded in the nuclear fireball model. The data are analyzed in the framework of the FRITIOF model.

Inner nuclear envelope protein SUN1 plays a prominent role in mammalian mRNA export.

PubMed

Li, Ping; Noegel, Angelika A

2015-11-16

Nuclear export of messenger ribonucleoproteins (mRNPs) through the nuclear pore complex (NPC) can be roughly classified into two forms: bulk and specific export, involving an nuclear RNA export factor 1 (NXF1)-dependent pathway and chromosome region maintenance 1 (CRM1)-dependent pathway, respectively. SUN proteins constitute the inner nuclear envelope component of the l I: nker of N: ucleoskeleton and C: ytoskeleton (LINC) complex. Here, we show that mammalian cells require SUN1 for efficient nuclear mRNP export. The results indicate that both SUN1 and SUN2 interact with heterogeneous nuclear ribonucleoprotein (hnRNP) F/H and hnRNP K/J. SUN1 depletion inhibits the mRNP export, with accumulations of both hnRNPs and poly(A)+RNA in the nucleus. Leptomycin B treatment indicates that SUN1 functions in mammalian mRNA export involving the NXF1-dependent pathway. SUN1 mediates mRNA export through its association with mRNP complexes via a direct interaction with NXF1. Additionally, SUN1 associates with the NPC through a direct interaction with Nup153, a nuclear pore component involved in mRNA export. Taken together, our results reveal that the inner nuclear envelope protein SUN1 has additional functions aside from being a central component of the LINC complex and that it is an integral component of the mammalian mRNA export pathway suggesting a model whereby SUN1 recruits NXF1-containing mRNP onto the nuclear envelope and hands it over to Nup153. © The Author(s) 2015. Published by Oxford University Press on behalf of Nucleic Acids Research.

Reorientation-effect measurement of the first 2+ state in 12C: Confirmation of oblate deformation

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Kumar Raju, M.; Orce, J. N.; Navrátil, P.; Ball, G. C.; Drake, T. E.; Triambak, S.; Hackman, G.; Pearson, C. J.; Abrahams, K. J.; Akakpo, E. H.; Al Falou, H.; Churchman, R.; Cross, D. S.; Djongolov, M. K.; Erasmus, N.; Finlay, P.; Garnsworthy, A. B.; Garrett, P. E.; Jenkins, D. G.; Kshetri, R.; Leach, K. G.; Masango, S.; Mavela, D. L.; Mehl, C. V.; Mokgolobotho, M. J.; Ngwetsheni, C.; O'Neill, G. G.; Rand, E. T.; Sjue, S. K. L.; Sumithrarachchi, C. S.; Svensson, C. E.; Tardiff, E. R.; Williams, S. J.; Wong, J.

2018-02-01

A Coulomb-excitation reorientation-effect measurement using the TIGRESS γ-ray spectrometer at the TRIUMF/ISAC II facility has permitted the determination of the 〈 21+ ‖ E 2 ˆ ‖21+ 〉 diagonal matrix element in 12C from particle-γ coincidence data and state-of-the-art no-core shell model calculations of the nuclear polarizability. The nuclear polarizability for the ground and first-excited (21+) states in 12C have been calculated using chiral NN N4LO500 and NN+3NF350 interactions, which show convergence and agreement with photo-absorption cross-section data. Predictions show a change in the nuclear polarizability with a substantial increase between the ground state and first excited 21+ state at 4.439 MeV. The polarizability of the 21+ state is introduced into the current and previous Coulomb-excitation reorientation-effect analyses of 12C. Spectroscopic quadrupole moments of QS (21+) = + 0.053 (44) eb and QS (21+) = + 0.08 (3) eb are determined, respectively, yielding a weighted average of QS (21+) = + 0.071 (25) eb, in agreement with recent ab initio calculations. The present measurement confirms that the 21+ state of 12C is oblate and emphasizes the important role played by the nuclear polarizability in Coulomb-excitation studies of light nuclei.

A 3He-129Xe co-magnetometer probed by a Rb magnetometer with Ramsey-pulse technique

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Sheng, Dong; Kabcenell, Aaron; Romalis, Michael

2013-05-01

We report the recent progress in development of a new kind of co-magnetometer, benifiting from both the long spin coherence time of a noble gas and a highly sensitive alkali metal magnetometer. Due to the Fermi-contact interaction between alkali metal electron spin and noble gas nuclear spin the effective magnetization of the noble gas is enhanced by a factor of 6 to 600, allowing near quantum-limited detection of nuclear spins. Collisions between polarized alkali atoms and noble gas also introduce a large shift to the nuclear spin precession frequency. We reduce this effect by using Ramsey pulse techniques to measure the noble gas spin precession frequency ``in the dark'' by turning off the pumping laser between Ramsey pulses. A furthur reduction of the back-hyperpolarization from the noble gas can be achieved by controlling the cell temperature on short time scale. We showed that a 3He-129Xe Ramsey co-magnetometer is effective in cancelling fluctuations of external magnetic fields and gradients and developed cells with sufficient 129Xe T2 time without surface coatings. The new co-magnetometer has potential applications for many precision measurements, such as searches for spin-gravity couplings, electric dipole moments, and nuclear spin gyroscopes. Supported by DARPA.

A surprisingly simple correlation between the classical and quantum structural networks in liquid water

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Hamm, Peter; Fanourgakis, George S.; Xantheas, Sotiris S.

Nuclear quantum effects in liquid water have profound implications for several of its macroscopic properties related to structure, dynamics, spectroscopy and transport. Although several of water’s macroscopic properties can be reproduced by classical descriptions of the nuclei using potentials effectively parameterized for a narrow range of its phase diagram, a proper account of the nuclear quantum effects is required in order to ensure that the underlying molecular interactions are transferable across a wide temperature range covering different regions of that diagram. When performing an analysis of the hydrogen bonded structural networks in liquid water resulting from the classical (class.) andmore » quantum (q.m.) descriptions of the nuclei with the transferable, flexible, polarizable TTM3-F interaction potential, we found that the two results can be superimposed over the temperature range of T=270-350 K using a surprisingly simple, linear scaling of the two temperatures according to T(q.m.)=aT(class)- T , where a=1.2 and T=51 K. The linear scaling and constant shift of the temperature scale can be considered as a generalization of the previously reported temperature shifts (corresponding to structural changes and the melting T) induced by quantum effects in liquid water.« less

Simulation of orientational coherent effects via Geant4

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Bagli, E.; Asai, M.; Brandt, D.; Dotti, A.; Guidi, V.; Verderi, M.; Wright, D.

2017-10-01

Simulation of orientational coherent effects via Geant4 beam manipulation of high-and very-high-energy particle beams is a hot topic in accelerator physics. Coherent effects of ultra-relativistic particles in bent crystals allow the steering of particle trajectories thanks to the strong electrical field generated between atomic planes. Recently, a collimation experiment with bent crystals was carried out at the CERN-LHC, paving the way to the usage of such technology in current and future accelerators. Geant4 is a widely used object-oriented tool-kit for the Monte Carlo simulation of the interaction of particles with matter in high-energy physics. Moreover, its areas of application include also nuclear and accelerator physics, as well as studies in medical and space science. We present the first Geant4 extension for the simulation of orientational effects in straight and bent crystals for high energy charged particles. The model allows the manipulation of particle trajectories by means of straight and bent crystals and the scaling of the cross sections of hadronic and electromagnetic processes for channeled particles. Based on such a model, an extension of the Geant4 toolkit has been developed. The code and the model have been validated by comparison with published experimental data regarding the deflection efficiency via channeling and the variation of the rate of inelastic nuclear interactions.

Fluctuating hyperfine interactions: an updated computational implementation

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Zacate, M. O.; Evenson, W. E.

2015-04-01

The stochastic hyperfine interactions modeling library (SHIML) is a set of routines written in the C programming language designed to assist in the analysis of stochastic models of hyperfine interactions. The routines read a text-file description of the model, set up the Blume matrix, upon which the evolution operator of the quantum mechanical system depends, and calculate the eigenvalues and eigenvectors of the Blume matrix, from which theoretical spectra of experimental techniques can be calculated. The original version of SHIML constructs Blume matrices applicable for methods that measure hyperfine interactions with only a single nuclear spin state. In this paper, we report an extension of the library to provide support for methods such as Mössbauer spectroscopy and nuclear resonant scattering of synchrotron radiation, which are sensitive to interactions with two nuclear spin states. Examples will be presented that illustrate the use of this extension of SHIML to generate Mössbauer spectra for polycrystalline samples under a number of fluctuating hyperfine field models.

Synthesis of a Vpr-Binding Derivative for Use as a Novel HIV-1 Inhibitor.

PubMed

Hagiwara, Kyoji; Ishii, Hideki; Murakami, Tomoyuki; Takeshima, Shin-nosuke; Chutiwitoonchai, Nopporn; Kodama, Eiichi N; Kawaji, Kumi; Kondoh, Yasumitsu; Honda, Kaori; Osada, Hiroyuki; Tsunetsugu-Yokota, Yasuko; Suzuki, Masaaki; Aida, Yoko

2015-01-01

The emergence of multidrug-resistant viruses compromises the efficacy of anti-human immunodeficiency virus type 1 (HIV-1) therapy and limits treatment options. Therefore, new targets that can be used to develop novel antiviral agents need to be identified. We previously identified a potential parent compound, hematoxylin, which suppresses the nuclear import of HIV-1 via the Vpr-importin α interaction and inhibits HIV-1 replication in a Vpr-dependent manner by blocking nuclear import of the pre-integration complex. However, it was unstable. Here, we synthesized a stable derivative of hematoxylin that bound specifically and stably to Vpr and inhibited HIV-1 replication in macrophages. Furthermore, like hematoxylin, the derivative inhibited nuclear import of Vpr in an in vitro nuclear import assay, but had no effect on Vpr-induced G2/M phase cell cycle arrest or caspase activity. Interestingly, this derivative bound strongly to amino acid residues 54-74 within the C-terminal α-helical domain (αH3) of Vpr. These residues are highly conserved among different HIV strains, indicating that this region is a potential target for drug-resistant HIV-1 infection. Thus, we succeeded in developing a stable hematoxylin derivative that bound directly to Vpr, suggesting that specific inhibitors of the interaction between cells and viral accessory proteins may provide a new strategy for the treatment of HIV-1 infection.

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Ray, L.; Hoffmann, G.W.; Thaler, R.M.

The treatment of the Coulomb interaction in the multiple scattering theories of Kerman-McManus-Thaler and Watson is examined in detail. By neglecting virtual Coulomb excitations, the lowest order Coulomb term in the Watson optical potential is shown to be a convolution of the point Coulomb interaction with the distributed nuclear charge, while the equivalent Kerman-McManus-Thaler Coulomb potential is obtained from an averaged, single-particle Coulombic T matrix. The Kerman-McManus-Thaler Coulomb potential is expressed as the Watson Coulomb term plus additional Coulomb-nuclear and Coulomb-Coulomb cross terms, and the omission of the extra terms in usual Kerman-McManus-Thaler applications leads to negative infinite total reactionmore » cross section predictions and incorrect pure Coulomb scattering limits. Approximations are presented which eliminate these anomalies. Using the two-potential formula, the full projectile-nucleus T matrix is separated into two terms, one resulting from the distributed nuclear charge and the other being a Coulomb distorted nuclear T matrix. It is shown that the error resulting from the omission of the Kerman-McManus-Thaler Coulomb terms is effectively removed when the pure Coulomb T matrix in Kerman-McManus-Thaler is replaced by the analogous quantity in the Watson approach. Using the various approximations, theoretical angular distributions are obtained for 800 MeV p+/sup 208/Pb elastic scattering and compared with experimental data.« less

Separation of enilconazole enantiomers in capillary electrophoresis with cyclodextrin-type chiral selectors and investigation of structure of selector-selectand complexes by using nuclear magnetic resonance spectroscopy.

PubMed

Gogolashvili, Ann; Tatunashvili, Elene; Chankvetadze, Lali; Sohajda, Tamas; Szeman, Julianna; Salgado, Antonio; Chankvetadze, Bezhan

2017-08-01

In the present study, the enantiomer migration order (EMO) of enilconazole in the presence of various cyclodextrins (CDs) was investigated by capillary electrophoresis (CE). Opposite EMO of enilconazole were observed when β-CD or the sulfated heptakis(2-O-methyl-3,6-di-O-sulfo)-β-CD (HMDS-β-CD) was used as the chiral selectors. Nuclear magnetic resonance (NMR) spectroscopy was used to study the mechanism of chiral recognition between enilconazole enantiomers and those two cyclodextrins. On the basis of rotating frame nuclear Overhauser (ROESY) experiments, the structure of an inclusion complex between enilconazole and β-CD was derived, in which (+)-enilconazole seemed to form a tighter complex than the (-)-enantiomer. This correlates well with the migration order of enilconazole enantiomers observed in CE. No evidence of complexation between enilconazole and HMDS-β-CD could be gathered due to lack of intermolecular nuclear Overhauser effect (NOE). Most likely the interaction between enilconazole and HMDS-β-CD leads to formation of a shallow external complex that is sufficient for separation of enantiomers in CE but cannot be evidenced based on ROESY experiment. Thus, in this particular case CE documents the presence of intermolecular interactions which are at least very difficult to be evidenced by other instrumental techniques. © 2017 WILEY-VCH Verlag GmbH & Co. KGaA, Weinheim.

Nuclear Potential Clustering As a New Tool to Detect Patterns in High Dimensional Datasets

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Tonkova, V.; Paulus, D.; Neeb, H.

2013-02-01

We present a new approach for the clustering of high dimensional data without prior assumptions about the structure of the underlying distribution. The proposed algorithm is based on a concept adapted from nuclear physics. To partition the data, we model the dynamic behaviour of nucleons interacting in an N-dimensional space. An adaptive nuclear potential, comprised of a short-range attractive (strong interaction) and a long-range repulsive term (Coulomb force) is assigned to each data point. By modelling the dynamics, nucleons that are densely distributed in space fuse to build nuclei (clusters) whereas single point clusters repel each other. The formation of clusters is completed when the system reaches the state of minimal potential energy. The data are then grouped according to the particles' final effective potential energy level. The performance of the algorithm is tested with several synthetic datasets showing that the proposed method can robustly identify clusters even when complex configurations are present. Furthermore, quantitative MRI data from 43 multiple sclerosis patients were analyzed, showing a reasonable splitting into subgroups according to the individual patients' disease grade. The good performance of the algorithm on such highly correlated non-spherical datasets, which are typical for MRI derived image features, shows that Nuclear Potential Clustering is a valuable tool for automated data analysis, not only in the MRI domain.

Chromatin states and nuclear organization in development--a view from the nuclear lamina.

PubMed

Mattout, Anna; Cabianca, Daphne S; Gasser, Susan M

2015-08-25

The spatial distribution of chromatin domains in interphase nuclei changes dramatically during development in multicellular organisms. A crucial question is whether nuclear organization is a cause or a result of differentiation. Genetic perturbation of lamina-heterochromatin interactions is helping to reveal the cross-talk between chromatin states and nuclear organization.

Intracellular Localization, Interactions and Functions of Capsicum Chlorosis Virus Proteins

PubMed Central

Widana Gamage, Shirani M. K.; Dietzgen, Ralf G.

2017-01-01

Tospoviruses are among the most devastating viruses of horticultural and field crops. Capsicum chlorosis virus (CaCV) has emerged as an important pathogen of capsicum and tomato in Australia and South-east Asia. Present knowledge about CaCV protein functions in host cells is lacking. We determined intracellular localization and interactions of CaCV proteins by live plant cell imaging to gain insight into the associations of viral proteins during infection. Proteins were transiently expressed as fusions to autofluorescent proteins in leaf epidermal cells of Nicotiana benthamiana and capsicum. All viral proteins localized at least partially in the cell periphery suggestive of cytoplasmic replication and assembly of CaCV. Nucleocapsid (N) and non-structural movement (NSm) proteins localized exclusively in the cell periphery, while non-structural suppressor of silencing (NSs) protein and Gc and Gn glycoproteins accumulated in both the cell periphery and the nucleus. Nuclear localization of CaCV Gn and NSs is unique among tospoviruses. We validated nuclear localization of NSs by immunofluorescence in protoplasts. Bimolecular fluorescence complementation showed self-interactions of CaCV N, NSs and NSm, and heterotypic interactions of N with NSs and Gn. All interactions occurred in the cytoplasm, except NSs self-interaction was exclusively nuclear. Interactions of a tospoviral NSs protein with itself and with N had not been reported previously. Functionally, CaCV NSs showed strong local and systemic RNA silencing suppressor activity and appears to delay short-distance spread of silencing signal. Cell-to-cell movement activity of NSm was demonstrated by trans-complementation of a movement-defective tobamovirus replicon. CaCV NSm localized at plasmodesmata and its transient expression led to the formation of tubular structures that protruded from protoplasts. The D155 residue in the 30K-like movement protein-specific LxD/N50-70G motif of NSm was critical for plasmodesmata localization and movement activity. Compared to other tospoviruses, CaCV proteins have both conserved and unique properties in terms of in planta localization, interactions and protein functions which will effect viral multiplication and movement in host plants. PMID:28443083

Quantified Gamow shell model interaction for p s d -shell nuclei

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Jaganathen, Y.; Betan, R. M. Id; Michel, N.; Nazarewicz, W.; Płoszajczak, M.

2017-11-01

Background: The structure of weakly bound and unbound nuclei close to particle drip lines is one of the major science drivers of nuclear physics. A comprehensive understanding of these systems goes beyond the traditional configuration interaction approach formulated in the Hilbert space of localized states (nuclear shell model) and requires an open quantum system description. The complex-energy Gamow shell model (GSM) provides such a framework as it is capable of describing resonant and nonresonant many-body states on equal footing. Purpose: To make reliable predictions, quality input is needed that allows for the full uncertainty quantification of theoretical results. In this study, we carry out the optimization of an effective GSM (one-body and two-body) interaction in the p s d f -shell-model space. The resulting interaction is expected to describe nuclei with 5 ≤A ≲12 at the p -s d -shell interface. Method: The one-body potential of the 4He core is modeled by a Woods-Saxon + spin-orbit + Coulomb potential, and the finite-range nucleon-nucleon interaction between the valence nucleons consists of central, spin-orbit, tensor, and Coulomb terms. The GSM is used to compute key fit observables. The χ2 optimization is performed using the Gauss-Newton algorithm augmented by the singular value decomposition technique. The resulting covariance matrix enables quantification of statistical errors within the linear regression approach. Results: The optimized one-body potential reproduces nucleon-4He scattering phase shifts up to an excitation energy of 20 MeV. The two-body interaction built on top of the optimized one-body field is adjusted to the bound and unbound ground-state binding energies and selected excited states of the helium, lithium, and beryllium isotopes up to A =9 . A very good agreement with experimental results was obtained for binding energies. First applications of the optimized interaction include predictions for two-nucleon correlation densities and excitation spectra of light nuclei with quantified uncertainties. Conclusion: The new interaction will enable comprehensive and fully quantified studies of structure and reactions aspects of nuclei from the p s d region of the nuclear chart.

Intracellular Localization, Interactions and Functions of Capsicum Chlorosis Virus Proteins.

PubMed

Widana Gamage, Shirani M K; Dietzgen, Ralf G

2017-01-01

Tospoviruses are among the most devastating viruses of horticultural and field crops. Capsicum chlorosis virus (CaCV) has emerged as an important pathogen of capsicum and tomato in Australia and South-east Asia. Present knowledge about CaCV protein functions in host cells is lacking. We determined intracellular localization and interactions of CaCV proteins by live plant cell imaging to gain insight into the associations of viral proteins during infection. Proteins were transiently expressed as fusions to autofluorescent proteins in leaf epidermal cells of Nicotiana benthamiana and capsicum. All viral proteins localized at least partially in the cell periphery suggestive of cytoplasmic replication and assembly of CaCV. Nucleocapsid (N) and non-structural movement (NSm) proteins localized exclusively in the cell periphery, while non-structural suppressor of silencing (NSs) protein and Gc and Gn glycoproteins accumulated in both the cell periphery and the nucleus. Nuclear localization of CaCV Gn and NSs is unique among tospoviruses. We validated nuclear localization of NSs by immunofluorescence in protoplasts. Bimolecular fluorescence complementation showed self-interactions of CaCV N, NSs and NSm, and heterotypic interactions of N with NSs and Gn. All interactions occurred in the cytoplasm, except NSs self-interaction was exclusively nuclear. Interactions of a tospoviral NSs protein with itself and with N had not been reported previously. Functionally, CaCV NSs showed strong local and systemic RNA silencing suppressor activity and appears to delay short-distance spread of silencing signal. Cell-to-cell movement activity of NSm was demonstrated by trans -complementation of a movement-defective tobamovirus replicon. CaCV NSm localized at plasmodesmata and its transient expression led to the formation of tubular structures that protruded from protoplasts. The D 155 residue in the 30K-like movement protein-specific LxD/N 50-70 G motif of NSm was critical for plasmodesmata localization and movement activity. Compared to other tospoviruses, CaCV proteins have both conserved and unique properties in terms of in planta localization, interactions and protein functions which will effect viral multiplication and movement in host plants.

Quantified Gamow shell model interaction for p s d -shell nuclei

DOE PAGES

Jaganathen, Y.; Betan, R. M. Id; Michel, N.; ...

2017-11-20

Background: The structure of weakly bound and unbound nuclei close to particle drip lines is one of the major science drivers of nuclear physics. A comprehensive understanding of these systems goes beyond the traditional configuration interaction approach formulated in the Hilbert space of localized states (nuclear shell model) and requires an open quantum system description. The complex-energy Gamow shell model (GSM) provides such a framework as it is capable of describing resonant and nonresonant many-body states on equal footing. Purpose: To make reliable predictions, quality input is needed that allows for the full uncertainty quantification of theoretical results. In thismore » study, we carry out the optimization of an effective GSM (one-body and two-body) interaction in the psdf-shell-model space. The resulting interaction is expected to describe nuclei with 5 ≤ A ≲ 12 at the p-sd-shell interface. Method: The one-body potential of the 4He core is modeled by a Woods-Saxon + spin-orbit + Coulomb potential, and the finite-range nucleon-nucleon interaction between the valence nucleons consists of central, spin-orbit, tensor, and Coulomb terms. The GSM is used to compute key fit observables. The χ 2 optimization is performed using the Gauss-Newton algorithm augmented by the singular value decomposition technique. The resulting covariance matrix enables quantification of statistical errors within the linear regression approach. Results: The optimized one-body potential reproduces nucleon- 4He scattering phase shifts up to an excitation energy of 20 MeV. The two-body interaction built on top of the optimized one-body field is adjusted to the bound and unbound ground-state binding energies and selected excited states of the helium, lithium, and beryllium isotopes up to A = 9 . A very good agreement with experimental results was obtained for binding energies. First applications of the optimized interaction include predictions for two-nucleon correlation densities and excitation spectra of light nuclei with quantified uncertainties. In conclusion: The new interaction will enable comprehensive and fully quantified studies of structure and reactions aspects of nuclei from the psd region of the nuclear chart.« less

Thermodynamic characterization of the multivalent interactions underlying rapid and selective translocation through the nuclear pore complex

PubMed Central

Hayama, Ryo; Sparks, Samuel; Hecht, Lee M.; Dutta, Kaushik; Karp, Jerome M.; Cabana, Christina M.; Rout, Michael P.; Cowburn, David

2018-01-01

Intrinsically disordered proteins (IDPs) play important roles in many biological systems. Given the vast conformational space that IDPs can explore, the thermodynamics of the interactions with their partners is closely linked to their biological functions. Intrinsically disordered regions of Phe–Gly nucleoporins (FG Nups) that contain multiple phenylalanine–glycine repeats are of particular interest, as their interactions with transport factors (TFs) underlie the paradoxically rapid yet also highly selective transport of macromolecules mediated by the nuclear pore complex. Here, we used NMR and isothermal titration calorimetry to thermodynamically characterize these multivalent interactions. These analyses revealed that a combination of low per-FG motif affinity and the enthalpy–entropy balance prevents high-avidity interaction between FG Nups and TFs, whereas the large number of FG motifs promotes frequent FG–TF contacts, resulting in enhanced selectivity. Our thermodynamic model underlines the importance of functional disorder of FG Nups. It helps explain the rapid and selective translocation of TFs through the nuclear pore complex and further expands our understanding of the mechanisms of “fuzzy” interactions involving IDPs. PMID:29374059

Peculiarities of biological action of hadrons of space radiation.

PubMed

Akoev, I G; Yurov, S S

1975-01-01

Biological investigations in space enable one to make a significant contribution on high-energy hadrons to biological effects under the influence of factors of space flights. Physical and molecular principles of the action of high-energy hadrons are analysed. Genetic and somatic hadron effects produced by the secondary radiation from 70 GeV protons have been studied experimentally. The high biological effectiveness of hadrons, great variability in biological effects, and specifically of their action, are associated with strong interactions of high-energy hadrons. These are the probability of nuclear interaction with any atom nucleus, generation of a great number of secondary particles (among them, probably, highly effective multicharged and heavy nuclei, antiprotons, pi(-)-mesons), and the spatial distribution of secondary particles as a narrow cone with extremely high density of particles in its first part. The secondary radiation generated by high- and superhigh-energy hadrons upon their interaction with the spaceship is likely to be the greatest hazard of radiation to the crew during space flights.

Economics of nuclear power and climate change mitigation policies.

PubMed

Bauer, Nico; Brecha, Robert J; Luderer, Gunnar

2012-10-16

The events of March 2011 at the nuclear power complex in Fukushima, Japan, raised questions about the safe operation of nuclear power plants, with early retirement of existing nuclear power plants being debated in the policy arena and considered by regulators. Also, the future of building new nuclear power plants is highly uncertain. Should nuclear power policies become more restrictive, one potential option for climate change mitigation will be less available. However, a systematic analysis of nuclear power policies, including early retirement, has been missing in the climate change mitigation literature. We apply an energy economy model framework to derive scenarios and analyze the interactions and tradeoffs between these two policy fields. Our results indicate that early retirement of nuclear power plants leads to discounted cumulative global GDP losses of 0.07% by 2020. If, in addition, new nuclear investments are excluded, total losses will double. The effect of climate policies imposed by an intertemporal carbon budget on incremental costs of policies restricting nuclear power use is small. However, climate policies have much larger impacts than policies restricting the use of nuclear power. The carbon budget leads to cumulative discounted near term reductions of global GDP of 0.64% until 2020. Intertemporal flexibility of the carbon budget approach enables higher near-term emissions as a result of increased power generation from natural gas to fill the emerging gap in electricity supply, while still remaining within the overall carbon budget. Demand reductions and efficiency improvements are the second major response strategy.

Economics of nuclear power and climate change mitigation policies

PubMed Central

Bauer, Nico; Brecha, Robert J.; Luderer, Gunnar

2012-01-01

The events of March 2011 at the nuclear power complex in Fukushima, Japan, raised questions about the safe operation of nuclear power plants, with early retirement of existing nuclear power plants being debated in the policy arena and considered by regulators. Also, the future of building new nuclear power plants is highly uncertain. Should nuclear power policies become more restrictive, one potential option for climate change mitigation will be less available. However, a systematic analysis of nuclear power policies, including early retirement, has been missing in the climate change mitigation literature. We apply an energy economy model framework to derive scenarios and analyze the interactions and tradeoffs between these two policy fields. Our results indicate that early retirement of nuclear power plants leads to discounted cumulative global GDP losses of 0.07% by 2020. If, in addition, new nuclear investments are excluded, total losses will double. The effect of climate policies imposed by an intertemporal carbon budget on incremental costs of policies restricting nuclear power use is small. However, climate policies have much larger impacts than policies restricting the use of nuclear power. The carbon budget leads to cumulative discounted near term reductions of global GDP of 0.64% until 2020. Intertemporal flexibility of the carbon budget approach enables higher near-term emissions as a result of increased power generation from natural gas to fill the emerging gap in electricity supply, while still remaining within the overall carbon budget. Demand reductions and efficiency improvements are the second major response strategy. PMID:23027963

Role of Mex67-Mtr2 in the Nuclear Export of 40S Pre-Ribosomes

PubMed Central

Occhipinti, Laura; Kemmler, Stefan; Panse, Vikram G.

2012-01-01

Nuclear export of mRNAs and pre-ribosomal subunits (pre40S and pre60S) is fundamental to all eukaryotes. While genetic approaches in budding yeast have identified bona fide export factors for mRNAs and pre60S subunits, little is known regarding nuclear export of pre40S subunits. The yeast heterodimeric transport receptor Mex67-Mtr2 (TAP-p15 in humans) binds mRNAs and pre60S subunits in the nucleus and facilitates their passage through the nuclear pore complex (NPC) into the cytoplasm by interacting with Phe-Gly (FG)-rich nucleoporins that line its transport channel. By exploiting a combination of genetic, cell-biological, and biochemical approaches, we uncovered an unanticipated role of Mex67-Mtr2 in the nuclear export of 40S pre-ribosomes. We show that recruitment of Mex67-Mtr2 to pre40S subunits requires loops emanating from its NTF2-like domains and that the C-terminal FG-rich nucleoporin interacting UBA-like domain within Mex67 contributes to the transport of pre40S subunits to the cytoplasm. Remarkably, the same loops also recruit Mex67-Mtr2 to pre60S subunits and to the Nup84 complex, the respective interactions crucial for nuclear export of pre60S subunits and mRNAs. Thus Mex67-Mtr2 is a unique transport receptor that employs a common interaction surface to participate in the nuclear export of both pre-ribosomal subunits and mRNAs. Mex67-Mtr2 could engage a regulatory crosstalk among the three major export pathways for optimal cellular growth and proliferation. PMID:22956913

Pairwise additivity in the nuclear magnetic resonance interactions of atomic xenon.

PubMed

Hanni, Matti; Lantto, Perttu; Vaara, Juha

2009-04-14

Nuclear magnetic resonance (NMR) of atomic (129/131)Xe is used as a versatile probe of the structure and dynamics of various host materials, due to the sensitivity of the Xe NMR parameters to intermolecular interactions. The principles governing this sensitivity can be investigated using the prototypic system of interacting Xe atoms. In the pairwise additive approximation (PAA), the binary NMR chemical shift, nuclear quadrupole coupling (NQC), and spin-rotation (SR) curves for the xenon dimer are utilized for fast and efficient evaluation of the corresponding NMR tensors in small xenon clusters Xe(n) (n = 2-12). If accurate, the preparametrized PAA enables the analysis of the NMR properties of xenon clusters, condensed xenon phases, and xenon gas without having to resort to electronic structure calculations of instantaneous configurations for n > 2. The binary parameters for Xe(2) at different internuclear distances were obtained at the nonrelativistic Hartree-Fock level of theory. Quantum-chemical (QC) calculations at the corresponding level were used to obtain the NMR parameters of the Xe(n) (n = 2-12) clusters at the equilibrium geometries. Comparison of PAA and QC data indicates that the direct use of the binary property curves of Xe(2) can be expected to be well-suited for the analysis of Xe NMR in the gaseous phase dominated by binary collisions. For use in condensed phases where many-body effects should be considered, effective binary property functions were fitted using the principal components of QC tensors from Xe(n) clusters. Particularly, the chemical shift in Xe(n) is strikingly well-described by the effective PAA. The coordination number Z of the Xe site is found to be the most important factor determining the chemical shift, with the largest shifts being found for high-symmetry sites with the largest Z. This is rationalized in terms of the density of virtual electronic states available for response to magnetic perturbations.

Selection of Amino Acid Chirality via Neutrino Interactions with 14N in Crossed Electric and Magnetic Fields

PubMed Central

Boyd, Richard N.; Kajino, Toshitaka; Onaka, Takashi

2018-01-01

Abstract Previous work has suggested that the chirality of the amino acids could be established in the magnetic field of a nascent neutron star from a core-collapse supernova or massive collapsar. The magnetic field would orient the 14N nuclei, and the alignment of its nuclear spin with respect to those of the electron antineutrinos emitted from the collapsing star would determine the probability of destruction of the 14N nuclei by interactions with the antineutrinos. Subsequent work estimated the bulk polarization of the 14N nuclei in large rotating meteoroids in such an environment. The present work adds a crucial piece of this model by describing the details by which the selective 14N nuclear destruction would produce molecular chiral selectivity. The effects of the neutrino-induced interactions on the 14N nuclei bound in amino acids polarized in strong magnetic fields are studied. It is shown that electric fields in the reference frame of the nuclei modify the magnetic field at the nucleus, creating nuclear magnetizations that are asymmetric in chirality. The antineutrino cross sections depend on this magnetization, creating a selective destructive effect. The environmental conditions and sites in which such a selection mechanism could occur are discussed. Selective destruction of D-enantiomers results in enantiomeric excesses which may be sufficient to drive subsequent autocatalysis necessary to produce the few-percent enantiomeric excesses found in meteorites and subsequent homochirality. Molecular quantum chemical calculations were performed for alanine, and the chirality-dependent effects studied were included. A preference for left-handed molecules was found, and enantiomeric excesses as high as 0.02% were estimated for molecules in the electromagnetic conditions expected from a core-collapse supernova. Key Words: Amino acids—Supernovae—Antineutrinos—Enantiomeric excess—Chirality. Astrobiology 18, 190–206. PMID:29160728

The Interactome of the Glucocorticoid Receptor and Its Influence on the Actions of Glucocorticoids in Combatting Inflammatory and Infectious Diseases

PubMed Central

Petta, Ioanna; Dejager, Lien; Ballegeer, Marlies; Lievens, Sam; Tavernier, Jan; Libert, Claude

2016-01-01

SUMMARY Glucocorticoids (GCs) have been widely used for decades as a first-line treatment for inflammatory and autoimmune diseases. However, their use is often hampered by the onset of adverse effects or resistance. GCs mediate their effects via binding to glucocorticoid receptor (GR), a transcription factor belonging to the family of nuclear receptors. An important aspect of GR's actions, including its anti-inflammatory capacity, involves its interactions with various proteins, such as transcription factors, cofactors, and modifying enzymes, which codetermine receptor functionality. In this review, we provide a state-of-the-art overview of the protein-protein interactions (PPIs) of GR that positively or negatively affect its anti-inflammatory properties, along with mechanistic insights, if known. Emphasis is placed on the interactions that affect its anti-inflammatory effects in the presence of inflammatory and microbial diseases. PMID:27169854