Emergence of Long-Range Angular Correlations in Low-Multiplicity Proton-Proton Collisions

This Letter presents the measurement of near-side associated per-trigger yields, denoted ridge yields, from the analysis of angular correlations of charged hadrons in proton-proton collisions at sqrt[s]=13  TeV. Long-range ridge yields are extracted for pairs of charged particles with a pseudorapidity difference of 1.4<|Δη|<1.8 and a transverse momentum of 1 Collapse

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A robust position/force learning controller of manipulators via nonlinear Hinfinity control and neural networks

A new robust learning controller for simultaneous position and force control of uncertain constrained manipulators is presented. Using models of the manipulator dynamics and environmental constraint, a task-space reduced-order position dynamics and an algebraic description for the interacting force between the manipulator and its environment are constructed. Based on this treatment, the robust nonlinear Hinfinity control approach and direct adaptive neural network (NN) technique are then integrated together. The role of NN devices is to adaptively learn those manipulators' structured/unstructured uncertain dynamics as well as the uncertainties with environmental modelling. Then, the effects on tracking performance attributable to the approximation errors of NN devices are attenuated to a prescribed level by the embedded nonlinear Hinfinity control. Whenever the adopted NN devices have the potential to effectively approximate those nonlinear mappings which are to be learned, then this new control scheme can be ultimately less conservative than its counterpart Hinfinity only position/force tracking control scheme. This is shown analytically in the form of theorem. Finally, a simulation study for a constrained two-link planar manipulator is given. Simulation results indicate that the proposed adaptive Hinfinity NN position/force tracking controller performs better in both force and position tracking tasks than its counterpart Hinfinity only position/force tracking control scheme.

The percutaneous penetration of prostaglandin E1 and its alkyl esters

The percutaneous delivery of PGE1 and its alkyl esters in alcoholic saline solution through hairless mouse skin was compared. The quantification of alkyl esters was based on the same principle as that for PGE1, which was converted to PGB1 to enhance the sensitivity and minimize the interference. Results showed that it was PGE1 that appeared in the receiver compartment for all alkyl esters examined. The flux of all alkyl esters of PGE1 in the same concentration was higher than PGE1 itself at most of saline vehicle with various fractions of alcohol. The maximal flux for a fixed concentration of each alkyl ester appeared at different fractions of alcohol. When the fractions of alcohol was kept constant, the alkyl ester that showed the maximal flux at this concentration appeared to have a longer chain length with increasing the fraction of alcohol. But isopropyl ester deviated from this order. It was concluded that the alkyl ester derivatives promoted the penetration of PGE1 mainly as a result of enhancing the drug partitioning into the stratum corneum. The alcohol fraction that needed to achieve the maximal flux at the same concentration increased with the increase of alkyl chain length, which resulted in the decrease of solubility parameter. It is necessary to optimize the fraction of alcohol in the saline solution in order to achieve the maximal flux at a fixed concentration for these alkyl esters with different alkyl chain length.

The role of cysteinyl residues in the activity of bacterial elongation factor Ts, a guanosine nucleotide dissociation protein

The modification of E.coli elongation factor Ts (EF-Ts) by NEM and other sulfhydryl reagents inactivates the protein's ability to bind EF-Tu.GDP and to catalyze GDP exchange. The reactive residue was found to be Cys-22. Replacement of Cys-22 by Ser or Gly only partially impairs the binding or catalytic properties of EF-Ts while it completely protects EF-Ts from the inactivation by NEM. Cys-22 of EF-Ts is not located at the EF-Ts.EF-Tu interface, yet it can be modified only when EF-Ts is not bound to EF-Tu. These results support the proposal that the conformation change around Cys-22 in the amino terminus of EF-Ts rather than Cys-22 itself is essential for binding EF-Tu. Apparently, modification of Cys-22 by NEM disrupts the conformation change and inactivates EF-Ts. The return of EF-Ts to its native conformation may provide the driving force for the rate-determining step in the catalytic cycle, the dissociation of EF-Ts from EF-Tu.GNP.

The dominant negative effects of H-Ras harboring a Gly to Ala mutation at position 60

v-H-Ras harboring the Gly-60 to Ala mutation (G60A) lacks the ability to induce germinal vesicle breakdown in Xenopus oocytes. Moreover, this mutant is capable of inhibiting the activity of v-H-Ras to induce oocyte germinal vesicle breakdown when co-injected. The duration and the extent of inhibition depends on the molar ratio of v-H-Ras(G60A) to v-H-Ras. The inhibition is not due to a general toxicity of v-H-Ras(G60A) to oocytes because oocytes injected with v-H-Ras(G60A) can be readily induced to mature by other mitogenic agents, such as insulin, insulin-like growth factor 1, insulin-like growth factor 2, and phosphatidylcholine-specific phospholipase C. The dominant negative effect of v-H-Ras(G60A) requires proper membrane attachment of v-H-Ras(G60A). By using a competition assay, it was concluded that the dominant negative phenotype of v-H-Ras(G60A) resulted from sequestering H-Ras downstream effector(s). Raf-1 was identified as one of the sequestered targets.

The differential effects of the Gly-60 to Ala mutation on the interaction of H-Ras p21 with different downstream targets

We examined the effects of the Gly-60 to Ala mutation on the interaction of H-Ras with Ras GTPase activating protein (GAP), neurofibromin 1 (NF1), Raf-1, and ral guanine nucleotide dissociation stimulator (ralGDS), factors that interact with GTP-bound form of H-Ras. Previous study has shown that the G60A mutation perturbs GTP-induced conformational changes of H-Ras. We found that the G60A mutation decreases GTPase activity of H-Ras without significantly affecting GTP/GDP binding. The reduction in GTPase activity is most dramatic in the presence of GAP or NF1. Interestingly, the G60A mutation does not appear to alter the affinity of H-Ras for GAP or NF1. The G60A mutation moderately reduces the binding of H-Ras to Raf-1 Ras binding domain; however, the binding of H-Ras to ralGDS Ras binding domain was more significantly affected by the same mutation. These results indicate that although GAP, NF1, Raf-1, and ralGDS all interact with H-Ras in a GTP-dependent manner and they are able to compete against each other for binding to H-Ras, these factors share overlapping but not identical binding domains on H-Ras. The significance of our findings is discussed in the light of the GTP-induced conformational change model.

Immunolocalization of Alzheimer beta-amyloid peptide precursor to cellular membranes in baculovirus expression system

One characteristic of Alzheimer's disease (A beta disease) is the accumulation of amyloid deposits within the extracellular space of the brain and meninges. A 40 amino acid peptide called beta-peptide or A4 protein is the subunit of the amyloid fibrils found in these deposits. The sequence of beta-peptide is contained within those of a family of larger proteins called the Alzheimer beta-amyloid peptide precursor (APP). These APPs contain, in addition to a signal sequence, a hydrophobic sequence that is believed to span cell membranes. Although biochemical studies indicate that some APPs have properties of integral membrane proteins, morphological confirmation of this has not been reported. We recently described an expression system in which human APP751 cDNA was placed under the transcriptional regulation of the polyhedrin gene promoter in the baculovirus Autographica californica infecting a Spodoptera frugiperda cell line (Ramakrishna et al., Biochem Biophys Res Commun 174:983-989, 1991). As part of a larger biochemical and molecular biological study of APP, we have carried out an immunocytochemical study using antibodies directed against several epitopes within APP to reveal, at both the light and the electron microscopic levels, the cellular localization of APP in the baculovirus expression system. These studies demonstrate that APP751 is abundantly synthesized and inserted into certain of the membrane compartments of the cell. As early as 24 hr postinfection, APP751 is found associated with all membrane compartments excepting mitochondrial membranes. The patterns of immunolabeling are consistent with our biochemical findings that the protein is processed in these cells so as to release the extracellular domain and to retain a transmembrane and intracellular segment. These data provide the first morphological demonstration of the membrane location of APP751, its posttranslational processing to a secreted fragment, and its exclusion from the mitochondrial membranes. This system is especially valuable for identifying conditions under which antibodies raised against APP or appropriate synthetic peptides will react with native APP.