624 research outputs found
Critical point of QCD from lattice simulations in the canonical ensemble
A canonical ensemble algorithm is employed to study the phase diagram of QCD using lattice simulations. We lock in the desired quark number sector
using an exact Fourier transform of the fermion determinant. We scan the phase
space below and look for an S-shape structure in the chemical potential,
which signals the coexistence phase of a first order phase transition in finite
volume. Applying Maxwell construction, we determine the boundaries of the
coexistence phase at three temperatures and extrapolate them to locate the
critical point. Using an improved gauge action and improved Wilson fermions on
lattices with a spatial extent of 1.8 \fm and quark masses close to that of
the strange, we find the critical point at and baryon
chemical potential .Comment: 5 pages, 7 figures, references added, published versio
Evaluating Emergency ENT Admissions In Two Scottish Teaching Hospitals
Introduction: Ear, Nose and Throat (ENT) emergencies are common in all communities, with significant regional variations in published literature. Early diagnosis and prompt management results in reduction in morbidity and mortality. The management of ENT emergencies requires significant financial resources for admissions and surgical interventions. An awareness of the pattern of admissions will facilitate strategic planning of a department’s activity. Objective: To evaluate the pattern of emergency ENT admissions to our department. Our objectives were to register the common admission diagnoses; record the equipment required in the ward treatment room and to identify training requirements for nursing and medical staff involved in their management. Methods: Retrospective analysis of a prospectively maintained departmental database. All emergency admissions to our department over 8 years were recorded. The data collected included patients’ demographics and admission diagnoses. Results: The total patients identified were 3878 with 56% (2185) male and 44% (1693) female. The majority of the patients admitted had a diagnosis in the head and neck sub group (58%). Over the study period on average 41 emergency admissions were recorded per month. The commonest emergency requiring admission was epistaxis, followed by acute sore throat. Conclusions: The most common adult ENT emergencies requiring admission to our unit are epistaxis, quinsy and post-tonsillectomy complications
Strangeness Content in the Nucleon
I review recent studies of strangeness content in the nucleon pertaining to
the flavor-singlet , the matrix element and the strangeness
electric and magnetic form factors and , based on
lattice QCD calculations. I shall also discuss the relevance of incorporating
the strangeness content in nuclei in regard to strange baryon-antibaryon
productions from proton-nucleus and nucleus-nucleus collisions at SPS and RHIC
energies.Comment: 11 pages, 4 figures, Invited talk at V Int. Conf. on Strangeness in
Quark Matter, Berkeley, CA, July 20--25, 200
Search for tau -> e gamma decay at Belle
We have searched for the lepton-flavor-violating decay tau -> e gamma using a
data sample of 86.7/fb collected with the Belle detector at the KEKB asymmetric
e^+ e^- collider. No evidence for a signal is obtained, and we set an upper
limit for the branching fraction Br(tau -> e gamma) < 3.9 x 10^-7 at the 90%
C.L.Comment: 11 pages, 10 figures, ReVTeX4, eps
Structural and electronic determinants of lytic polysaccharide monooxygenase reactivity on polysaccharide substrates
Lytic polysaccharide monooxygenases (LPMOs) are industrially important copper-dependent enzymes that oxidatively cleave polysaccharides. Here we present a functional and structural characterization of two closely related AA9-family LPMOs from Lentinus similis (LsAA9A) and Collariella virescens (CvAA9A). LsAA9A and CvAA9A cleave a range of polysaccharides, including cellulose, xyloglucan, mixed-linkage glucan and glucomannan. LsAA9A additionally cleaves isolated xylan substrates. The structures of CvAA9A and of LsAA9A bound to cellulosic and non-cellulosic oligosaccharides provide insight into the molecular determinants of their specificity. Spectroscopic measurements reveal differences in copper co-ordination upon the binding of xylan and glucans. LsAA9A activity is less sensitive to the reducing agent potential when cleaving xylan, suggesting that distinct catalytic mechanisms exist for xylan and glucan cleavage. Overall, these data show that AA9 LPMOs can display different apparent substrate specificities dependent upon both productive protein–carbohydrate interactions across a binding surface and also electronic considerations at the copper active site
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