75 research outputs found
Partially quenched chiral perturbation theory without
This paper completes the argument that lattice simulations of partially
quenched QCD can provide quantitative information about QCD itself, with the
aid of partially quenched chiral perturbation theory. A barrier to doing this
has been the inclusion of , the partially quenched generalization of
the , in previous calculations in the partially quenched effective
theory. This invalidates the low energy perturbative expansion, gives rise to
many new unknown parameters, and makes it impossible to reliably calculate the
relation between the partially quenched theory and low energy QCD. We show that
it is straightforward and natural to formulate partially quenched chiral
perturbation theory without , and that the resulting theory contains
the effective theory for QCD without the . We also show that previous
results, obtained including , can be reinterpreted as applying to the
theory without . We contrast the situation with that in the quenched
effective theory, where we explain why it is necessary to include .
We also compare the derivation of chiral perturbation theory in partially
quenched QCD with the standard derivation in unquenched QCD. We find that the
former cannot be justified as rigorously as the latter, because of the absence
of a physical Hilbert space. Finally, we present an encouraging result:
unphysical double poles in certain correlation functions in partially quenched
chiral perturbation theory can be shown to be a property of the underlying
theory, given only the symmetries and some plausible assumptions.Comment: 45 pages, no figure
Simulations with different lattice Dirac operators for valence and sea quarks
We discuss simulations with different lattice Dirac operators for sea and
valence quarks. A goal of such a "mixed" action approach is to probe deeper the
chiral regime of QCD by enabling simulations with light valence quarks. This is
achieved by using chiral fermions as valence quarks while computationally
inexpensive fermions are used in the sea sector. Specifically, we consider
Wilson sea quarks and Ginsparg-Wilson valence quarks. The local Symanzik action
for this mixed theory is derived to O(a), and the appropriate low energy chiral
effective Lagrangian is constructed, including the leading O(a) contributions.
Using this Lagrangian one can calculate expressions for physical observables
and determine the Gasser-Leutwyler coefficients by fitting them to the lattice
data.Comment: 17 pages, 1 ps figure (2 clarification paragraphs added
Cigarette smoking and adenocarcinomas of the esophagus and esophagogastric junction: a pooled analysis from the International BEACON Consortium
TRY plant trait database – enhanced coverage and open access
Plant traits—the morphological, anatomical, physiological, biochemical and phenological characteristics of plants—determine how plants respond to environmental factors, affect other trophic levels, and influence ecosystem properties and their benefits and detriments to people. Plant trait data thus represent the basis for a vast area of research spanning from evolutionary biology, community and functional ecology, to biodiversity conservation, ecosystem and landscape management, restoration, biogeography and earth system modelling. Since its foundation in 2007, the TRY database of plant traits has grown continuously. It now provides unprecedented data coverage under an open access data policy and is the main plant trait database used by the research community worldwide. Increasingly, the TRY database also supports new frontiers of trait‐based plant research, including the identification of data gaps and the subsequent mobilization or measurement of new data. To support this development, in this article we evaluate the extent of the trait data compiled in TRY and analyse emerging patterns of data coverage and representativeness. Best species coverage is achieved for categorical traits—almost complete coverage for ‘plant growth form’. However, most traits relevant for ecology and vegetation modelling are characterized by continuous intraspecific variation and trait–environmental relationships. These traits have to be measured on individual plants in their respective environment. Despite unprecedented data coverage, we observe a humbling lack of completeness and representativeness of these continuous traits in many aspects. We, therefore, conclude that reducing data gaps and biases in the TRY database remains a key challenge and requires a coordinated approach to data mobilization and trait measurements. This can only be achieved in collaboration with other initiatives
Accelarated immune ageing is associated with COVID-19 disease severity
Background
The striking increase in COVID-19 severity in older adults provides a clear example of immunesenescence, the age-related remodelling of the immune system. To better characterise the association between convalescent immunesenescence and acute disease severity, we determined the immune phenotype of COVID-19 survivors and non-infected controls.
Results
We performed detailed immune phenotyping of peripheral blood mononuclear cells isolated from 103 COVID-19 survivors 3–5 months post recovery who were classified as having had severe (n = 56; age 53.12 ± 11.30 years), moderate (n = 32; age 52.28 ± 11.43 years) or mild (n = 15; age 49.67 ± 7.30 years) disease and compared with age and sex-matched healthy adults (n = 59; age 50.49 ± 10.68 years). We assessed a broad range of immune cell phenotypes to generate a composite score, IMM-AGE, to determine the degree of immune senescence. We found increased immunesenescence features in severe COVID-19 survivors compared to controls including: a reduced frequency and number of naïve CD4 and CD8 T cells (p < 0.0001); increased frequency of EMRA CD4 (p < 0.003) and CD8 T cells (p < 0.001); a higher frequency (p < 0.0001) and absolute numbers (p < 0.001) of CD28−ve CD57+ve senescent CD4 and CD8 T cells; higher frequency (p < 0.003) and absolute numbers (p < 0.02) of PD-1 expressing exhausted CD8 T cells; a two-fold increase in Th17 polarisation (p < 0.0001); higher frequency of memory B cells (p < 0.001) and increased frequency (p < 0.0001) and numbers (p < 0.001) of CD57+ve senescent NK cells. As a result, the IMM-AGE score was significantly higher in severe COVID-19 survivors than in controls (p < 0.001). Few differences were seen for those with moderate disease and none for mild disease. Regression analysis revealed the only pre-existing variable influencing the IMM-AGE score was South Asian ethnicity (
= 0.174, p = 0.043), with a major influence being disease severity (
= 0.188, p = 0.01).
Conclusions
Our analyses reveal a state of enhanced immune ageing in survivors of severe COVID-19 and suggest this could be related to SARS-Cov-2 infection. Our data support the rationale for trials of anti-immune ageing interventions for improving clinical outcomes in these patients with severe disease
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