1,652 research outputs found
Baryon stopping and strange baryon/antibaryon production at SPS energies
The amount of proton stopping in central Pb+Pb collisions from 20-160 AGeV as
well as hyperon and antihyperon rapidity distributions are calculated within
the UrQMD model in comparison to experimental data at 40, 80 and 160 AGeV taken
recently from the NA49 collaboration. Furthermore, the amount of baryon
stopping at 160 AGeV for Pb+Pb collisions is studied as a function of
centrality in comparison to the NA49 data. We find that the strange baryon
yield is reasonably described for central collisions, however, the rapidity
distributions are somewhat more narrow than the data. Moreover, the
experimental antihyperon rapidity distributions at 40, 80 and 160 AGeV are
underestimated by up to factors of 3 - depending on the annihilation cross
section employed - which might be addressed to missing multi-meson fusion
channels in the UrQMD model.Comment: 18 pages, including 7 eps figures, to be published in Phys. Rev.
Triacylglycerol hydrolase: role in intracellular lipid metabolism
Recent scientific advances have revealed the identity of several enzymes involved in the synthesis, storage and catabolism of intracellular neutral lipid storage droplets. An enzyme that hydrolyzes stored triacylglycerol (TG), triacylglycerol hydrolase (TGH), was purified from porcine, human and murine liver microsomes. In rodents, TGH is highly expressed in liver as well as heart, kidney, small intestine and adipose tissues, while in humans TGH is mainly expressed in the liver, adipose and small intestine. TGH localizes to the endoplasmic reticulum and lipid droplets. The TGH genes are located within a cluster of carboxylesterase genes on human and mouse chromosomes 16 and 8, respectively. TGH hydrolyzes stored TG, and in the liver, the lipolytic products are made available for VLDL-TG synthesis. Inhibition of TGH activity also inhibits TG and apolipoprotein B secretion by primary hepatocytes. A role for TGH in basal TG lipolysis in adipocytes has been proposed. TGH expression and activity is both developmentally and hormonally regulated. A model for the function of TGH is presented and discussed with respect to tissue specific functions.Peer Reviewedhttp://deepblue.lib.umich.edu/bitstream/2027.42/42880/1/018_2004_Article_3426.pd
Particle dependence of elliptic flow in Au+Au collisions at 200 GeV
The elliptic flow parameter () for and
has been measured at mid-rapidity in Au + Au collisions at
GeV by the STAR collaboration. The values for both
and saturate at moderate , deviating
from the hydrodynamic behavior observed in the lower region. The
saturated values and the scales where the deviation begins are
particle dependent. The particle-type dependence of shows features
expected from the hadronization of a partonic ellipsoid by coalescence of
co-moving quarks. These results will be discussed in relation to the nuclear
modification factor () which has also been measured for and
by the STAR collaboration.Comment: 6 pages, 3 figures, Strange Quark Matter 2003 Conference (SQM 2003):
updated with 2 figures from original talk that did not appear in the journa
Matter-Antimatter Asymmetry in the Large Hadron Collider
The matter-antimatter asymmetry is one of the greatest challenges in the
modern physics. The universe including this paper and even the reader
him(her)self seems to be built up of ordinary matter only. Theoretically, the
well-known Sakharov's conditions remain the solid framework explaining the
circumstances that matter became dominant against the antimatter while the
universe cools down and/or expands. On the other hand, the standard model for
elementary particles apparently prevents at least two conditions out of them.
In this work, we introduce a systematic study of the antiparticle-to-particle
ratios measured in various and collisions over the last three
decades. It is obvious that the available experimental facilities turn to be
able to perform nuclear collisions, in which the matter-antimatter asymmetry
raises from at AGS to at LHC. Assuming that the final
state of hadronization in the nuclear collisions takes place along the
freezeout line, which is defined by a constant entropy density, various
antiparticle-to-particle ratios are studied in framework of the hadron
resonance gas (HRG) model. Implementing modified phase space and distribution
function in the grand-canonical ensemble and taking into account the
experimental acceptance, the ratios of antiparticle-to-particle over the whole
range of center-of-mass-energies are very well reproduced by the HRG model.
Furthermore, the antiproton-to-proton ratios measured by ALICE in
collisions is also very well described by the HRG model. It is likely to
conclude that the LHC heavy-ion program will produce the same particle ratios
as the program implying the dynamics and evolution of the system would not
depend on the initial conditions. The ratios of bosons and baryons get very
close to unity indicating that the matter-antimatter asymmetry nearly vanishes
at LHC.Comment: 9 pages, 5 eps-figures, revtex4-styl
Building professional discourse in emerging markets: Language, context and the challenge of sensemaking
Using ethnographic evidence from the former Soviet republics, this article examines a relatively new and mainly unobserved in the International Business (IB) literature phenomenon of communication disengagement that manifests itself in many emerging markets. We link it to the deficiencies of the local professional business discourse rooted in language limitations reflecting lack of experience with the market economy. This hampers cognitive coherence between foreign and local business entities, adding to the liability of foreignness as certain instances of professional experience fail to find adequate linguistic expression, and complicates cross-cultural adjustments causing multi-national companies (MNCs) financial losses. We contribute to the IB literature by examining cross-border semantic sensemaking through a retrospectively constructed observational study. We argue that a relative inadequacy of the national professional idiom is likely to remain a feature of business environment in post-communist economies for some time and therefore should be factored into business strategies of MNCs. Consequently, we recommend including discursive hazards in the risk evaluation of international projects
QGP Theory: Status and Perspectives
The current status of Quark-Gluon-Plasma Theory is reviewed. Special emphasis
is placed on QGP signatures, the interpretation of current data and what to
expect from RHIC in the near future.Comment: 20 pages, invited overview talk at the 4th International Conference
on the Physcis and Astrophysics of the Quark-Gluon-Plasma, November 2001,
Jaipur, India, to appear in Praman
Diquat Derivatives: Highly Active, Two-Dimensional Nonlinear Optical Chromophores with Potential Redox Switchability
In this article, we present a detailed study of structure−activity relationships in diquaternized 2,2′-bipyridyl (diquat) derivatives. Sixteen new chromophores have been synthesized, with variations in the amino electron donor substituents, π-conjugated bridge, and alkyl diquaternizing unit. Our aim is to combine very large, two-dimensional (2D) quadratic nonlinear optical (NLO) responses with reversible redox chemistry. The chromophores have been characterized as their PF_6^− salts by using various techniques including electronic absorption spectroscopy and cyclic voltammetry. Their visible absorption spectra are dominated by intense π → π^* intramolecular charge-transfer (ICT) bands, and all show two reversible diquat-based reductions. First hyperpolarizabilities β have been measured by using hyper-Rayleigh scattering with an 800 nm laser, and Stark spectroscopy of the ICT bands affords estimated static first hyperpolarizabilities β_0. The directly and indirectly derived β values are large and increase with the extent of π-conjugation and electron donor strength. Extending the quaternizing alkyl linkage always increases the ICT energy and decreases the E_(1/2) values for diquat reduction, but a compensating increase in the ICT intensity prevents significant decreases in Stark-based β_0 responses. Nine single-crystal X-ray structures have also been obtained. Time-dependent density functional theory clarifies the molecular electronic/optical properties, and finite field calculations agree with polarized HRS data in that the NLO responses of the disubstituted species are dominated by ‘off-diagonal’ β_(zyy) components. The most significant findings of these studies are: (i) β_0 values as much as 6 times that of the chromophore in the technologically important material (E)-4′-(dimethylamino)-N-methyl-4-stilbazolium tosylate; (ii) reversible electrochemistry that offers potential for redox-switching of optical properties over multiple states; (iii) strongly 2D NLO responses that may be exploited for novel practical applications; (iv) a new polar material, suitable for bulk NLO behavior
Bevacizumab for the Treatment of Recurrent Glioblastoma
Despite advances in upfront therapy, the prognosis in the great majority of patients with glioblastoma (GBM) is poor as almost all recur and result in disease-related death. Glioblastoma are highly vascularized cancers with elevated expression levels of vascular endothelial growth factor (VEGF), the dominant mediator of angiogenesis. A compelling biologic rationale, a need for improved therapy, and positive results from studies of bevacizumab in other cancers led to the evaluation of bevacizumab in the treatment of recurrent GBM. Bevacizumab, a humanized monoclonal antibody that targets VEGF, has been shown to improve patient outcomes in combination with chemotherapy (most commonly irinotecan) in recurrent GBM, and on the basis of positive results in two prospective phase 2 studies, bevacizumab was granted accelerated approval by the US Food and Drug Administration (FDA) as a single agent in recurrent GBM. Bevacizumab therapy is associated with manageable, class-specific toxicity as severe treatment-related adverse events are observed in only a minority of patients. With the goal of addressing questions and controversies regarding the optimal use of bevacizumab, the objective of this review is to provide a summary of the clinical efficacy and safety data of bevacizumab in patients with recurrent GBM, the practical issues surrounding the administration of bevacizumab, and ongoing investigations of bevacizumab in managing GBM
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