Searching for minimum in dependence of squared speed-of-sound on collision energy

Experimental results of the rapidity distributions of negatively charged pions produced in proton-proton ($p$-$p$) and beryllium-beryllium (Be-Be) collisions at different beam momentums, measured by the NA61/SHINE Collaboration at the super proton synchrotron (SPS), are described by a revised (three-source) Landau hydrodynamic model. The squared speed-of-sound parameter $c^2_s$ is then extracted from the width of rapidity distribution. There is a local minimum (knee point) which indicates a softest point in the equation of state (EoS) appearing at about 40$A$ GeV/$c$ (or 8.8 GeV) in $c^2_s$ excitation function [the dependence of $c^2_s$ on incident beam momentum (or center-of-mass energy)]. This knee point should be related to the searching for the onset of quark deconfinement and the critical point of quark-gluon plasma (QGP) phase transition.Comment: 12 pages, 5 figures. Advances in High Energy Physics, accepte

Rapidity dependent transverse momentum spectra of heavy quarkonia produced in small collision systems at the LHC

The rapidity dependent transverse momentum spectra of heavy quarkonia (J/psi and Upsilon mesons) produced in small collision systems such as proton-proton (pp) and proton-lead (p-Pb) collisions at center-of-mass energy (per nucleon pair) 5-13 TeV are described by a two-component statistical model which is based on the Tsallis statistics and inverse power-law. The experimental data measured by the LHCb Collaboration at the Large Hadron Collider (LHC) are well fitted by the model results. The related parameters are obtained and the dependences of parameters on rapidity are analyzed.Comment: 17 pages, 11 figures. Advances in High Energy Physics, accepte

Lepton flavor violation decays of vector mesons in unparticle physics

We investigate the lepton flavor violation decays of vector mesons in the scenario of the unparticle physics by considering the constraint from $\mu-e$ conversion. In unparticle physics, the predictions of LFV decays of vector mesons depend strongly on the scale dimension $d_{\mathcal{U}}$. The predictions of LFV decays of vector mesons can reach the detective sensitivity in experiment in region of $3\le d_{\mathcal{U}}\le 4$, while the prediction of $\mu-e$ conversion rate can meet the experimental upper limit. For the searching of the lepton flavor violation processes of charged lepton sector in experiment, the process $\Upsilon\rightarrow e\mu$ may be a promising one to be observed.Comment: 10 pages, 3 figure

CD44ICD promotes breast cancer stemness via PFKFB4-mediated glucose metabolism.

CD44 is a single-pass cell surface glycoprotein that is distinguished as the first molecule used to identify cancer stem cells in solid tumors based on its expression. In this regard, the CD44high cell population demonstrates not only the ability to regenerate a heterogeneous tumor, but also the ability to self-regenerate when transplanted into immune-deficient mice. However, the exact role of CD44 in cancer stem cells remains unclear in part because CD44 exists in various isoforms due to alternative splicing. Methods: Gain- and loss-of-function methods in different models were used to investigate the effects of CD44 on breast cancer stemness. Cancer stemness was analyzed by detecting SOX2, OCT4 and NANOG expression, ALDH activity, side population (SP) and sphere formation. Glucose consumption, lactate secretion and reactive oxygen species (ROS) levels were detected to assess glycolysis. Western blot, immunohistochemical staining, ELISA and TCGA dataset analysis were performed to determine the association of CD44ICD and PFKFB4 with clinical cases. A PFKFB4 inhibitor, 5MPN, was used in a xenograft model to inhibit breast cancer development. Results: In this report, we found that the shortest CD44 isoform (CD44s) inhibits breast cancer stemness, whereas the cleaved product of CD44 (CD44ICD) promotes breast cancer stemness. Furthermore, CD44ICD interacts with CREB and binds to the promoter region of PFKFB4, thereby regulating PFKFB4 transcription and expression. The resultant PFKFB4 expression facilitates the glycolysis pathway (vis-à-vis oxidative phosphorylation) and promotes stemness of breast cancer. In addition, we found that CD44ICD and PFKFB4 expressions are generally up-regulated in the tumor portion of breast cancer patient samples. Most importantly, we found that 5MPN (a selective inhibitor of PFKFB4) suppresses CD44ICD-induced tumor development. Conclusion: CD44ICD promotes breast cancer stemness via PFKFB4-mediated glycolysis, and therapies that target PFKFB4 (e.g., 5MPN therapy) may lead to improved outcomes for cancer patients

Excitation functions of parameters extracted from three-source (net-)proton rapidity distributions in Au-Au and Pb-Pb collisions over an energy range from AGS to RHIC

Experimental results of the rapidity spectra of protons and net-protons (protons minus antiprotons) emitted in gold-gold (Au-Au) and lead-lead (Pb-Pb) collisions, measured by a few collaborations at the alternating gradient synchrotron (AGS), super proton synchrotron (SPS), and relativistic heavy ion collider (RHIC), are described by a three-source distribution. The values of the distribution width $\sigma_C$ and contribution ratio (relative contribution) $k_C$ of the central rapidity region, and the distribution width $\sigma_F$ and rapidity shift $\Delta y$ of the forward/backward rapidity regions, are then obtained. The excitation function of $\sigma_C$ increases generally with increase of the center-of-mass energy per nucleon pair $\sqrt{s_{NN}}$. The excitation function of $\sigma_F$ shows a saturation at $\sqrt{s_{NN}}=8.8$ GeV. The excitation function of $k_C$ shows a minimum at $\sqrt{s_{NN}}=8.8$ GeV and a saturation at $\sqrt{s_{NN}}\approx 17$ GeV. The excitation function of $\Delta y$ increase monotonously with $\ln \sqrt{s_{NN}}$ in the considered energy range.Comment: 19 pages, 8 figures, The European Physical Journal A, accepte