328 research outputs found
Constraints on Parity-Even Time Reversal Violation in the Nucleon-Nucleon System and Its Connection to Charge Symmetry Breaking
Parity-even time reversal violation (TRV) in the nucleon-nucleon interaction
is reconsidered. The TRV -exchange interaction on which recent analyses
of measurements are based is necessarily also charge-symmetry breaking (CSB).
Limits on its strength relative to regular -exchange are
extracted from recent CSB experiments in neutron-proton scattering. The result
(95% CL) is considerably lower than limits
inferred from direct TRV tests in nuclear processes. Properties of
-exchange and limit imposed by the neutron EDM are briefly discussed.Comment: RevTex, 8 pages. Factor ten error in cited neutron EDM corrected,
discussion and two references adde
How the recent BABAR data for P to \gamma\gamma* affect the Standard Model predictions for the rare decays P to l+l-
Measuring the lepton anomalous magnetic moments and the rare decays
of light pseudoscalar mesons into lepton pairs , serve as
important tests of the Standard Model. To reduce the theoretical uncertainty in
the standard model predictions, the data on the charge and transition form
factors of the light pseudoscalar mesons play a significant role. Recently, new
data on the behavior of the transition form factors at
large momentum transfer were supplied by the BABAR collaboration. There are
several problems with the theoretical interpretation of these data: 1) An
unexpectedly slow decrease of the pion transition form factor at high momenta,
2) the qualitative difference in the behavior of the pion form factor and the
and form factors at high momenta, 3) the inconsistency of
the measured ratio of the and form factors with the
predicted one. We comment on the influence of the new BABAR data on the rare
decay branchings.Comment: 11 pages, 3 figure
A quark model analysis of the charge symmetry breaking in nuclear force
In order to investigate the charge symmetry breaking (CSB) in the short range
part of the nuclear force, we calculate the difference of the masses of the
neutron and the proton, , the difference of the scattering
lengths of the p-p and n-n scatterings, , and the difference of the
analyzing power of the proton and the neutron in the n-p scattering, , by a quark model. In the present model the sources of CSB are the
mass difference of the up and down quarks and the electromagnetic interaction.
We investigate how much each of them contributes to , and . It is found that the contribution of CSB of the
short range part in the nuclear force is large enough to explain the observed
, while is rather underestimated.Comment: 26 pages,6 figure
Selected nucleon form factors and a composite scalar diquark
A covariant, composite scalar diquark, Fadde'ev amplitude model for the
nucleon is used to calculate pseudoscalar, isoscalar- and isovector-vector,
axial-vector and scalar nucleon form factors. The last yields the nucleon
sigma-term and on-shell sigma-nucleon coupling. The calculated form factors are
soft, and the couplings are generally in good agreement with experiment and
other determinations. Elements in the dressed-quark-axial-vector vertex that
are not constrained by the Ward-Takahashi identity contribute ~20% to the
magnitude of g_A. The calculation of the nucleon sigma-term elucidates the only
unambiguous means of extrapolating meson-nucleon couplings off the meson
mass-shell.Comment: 12 pages, REVTEX, 5 figures, epsfi
Characteristic retinal atrophy pattern allows differentiation between pediatric MOGAD and MS after a single optic neuritis episode.
BACKGROUND
Optic neuritis (ON) is the most prevalent manifestation of pediatric multiple sclerosis (MSped) and myelin-oligodendrocyte glycoprotein antibody-associated disease (MOGADped) in children > 6 years. In this study, we investigated retinal atrophy patterns and diagnostic accuracy of optical coherence tomography (OCT) in differentiating between both diseases after the first ON episode.
METHODS
Patients were retrospectively identified in eight tertial referral centers. OCT, VEP and high/low-contrast visual acuity (HCVA/LCVA) have been investigated > 6 months after the first ON. Prevalence of pathological OCT findings was identified based on data of 144 age-matched healthy controls.
RESULTS
Thirteen MOGADped (10.7 ± 4.2 years, F:M 8:5, 21 ON eyes) and 21 MSped (14.3 ± 2.4 years, F:M 19:2, 24 ON eyes) patients were recruited. We observed a significantly more profound atrophy of both peripapillary and macular retinal nerve fiber layer in MOGADped compared to MSped (pRNFL global: 68.2 ± 16.9 vs. 89.4 ± 12.3 µm, p < 0.001; mRNFL: 0.12 ± 0.01 vs. 0.14 ± 0.01 mm3, p < 0.001). Neither other macular layers nor P100 latency differed. MOGADped developed global atrophy affecting all peripapillary segments, while MSped displayed predominantly temporal thinning. Nasal pRNFL allowed differentiation between both diseases with the highest diagnostic accuracy (AUC = 0.902, cutoff < 62.5 µm, 90.5% sensitivity and 70.8% specificity for MOGADped). OCT was also substantially more sensitive compared to VEP in identification of ON eyes in MOGAD (pathological findings in 90% vs. 14%, p = 0.016).
CONCLUSION
First MOGAD-ON results in a more severe global peripapillary atrophy compared to predominantly temporal thinning in MS-ON. Nasal pRNFL allows differentiation between both diseases with the highest accuracy, supporting the additional diagnostic value of OCT in children with ON
Anomalous Decays: The Triangle and Box Anomalies
We examine the decay modes \eta/\etp\ra \pi^+ \pi^- \gamma within the
context of the Hidden Local Symmetry (HLS) Model. Using numerical information
derived in previous fits to and decay modes in isolation
and the lineshape determined in a previous fit to the pion form factor,
we show that all aspects of these decays can be predicted with fair accuracy.
Freeing some parameters does not improve the picture. This is interpreted as a
strong evidence in favor of the box anomaly in the \eta/\etp decays, which
occurs at precisely the level expected. We also construct the set of equations
defining the amplitudes for \eta/\etp\ra \pi^+ \pi^- \gamma and \eta/\etp
\ra \ggam at the chiral limit, as predicted from the anomalous HLS Lagrangian
appropriately broken. This provides a set of four equations depending on only
one parameter, instead of three for the traditional set. This is also shown to
match the (two--angle, two--decay--constant) \eta-\etp mixing scheme recently
proposed and is also fairly well fulfilled by the data. The information
returned from fits also matches expectations from previously published fits to
the decay modes in isolation.Comment: 47 page
Rare decay \pi^0 \to e^+e^- as a Test of Standard Model
Experimental and theoretical progress concerning the rare decay \pi^0 \to
e^+e^- is briefly reviewed. It includes the latest data from KTeV and a new
model independent estimate of the decay branching which show the deviation
between experiment and theory at the level of . The predictions for
\eta and \eta' decays into lepton pair are presented. We also comment on the
impact on the pion rare decay estimate of the BABAR collaboration on the pion
transition form factor at large momentum transfer.Comment: 11 pages, 2 figures, extended version of the talk given at "New
Physics and Quantum Chromodynamics at External Conditions" conference, May
3-6, 2009, Dnipropetrovsk, Ukrain
Native diversity buffers against severity of non-native tree invasions
Determining the drivers of non-native plant invasions is critical for managing native ecosystems and limiting the spread of invasive species. Tree invasions in particular have been relatively overlooked, even though they have the potential to transform ecosystems and economies. Here, leveraging global tree databases, we explore how the phylogenetic and functional diversity of native tree communities, human pressure and the environment influence the establishment of non-native tree species and the subsequent invasion severity. We find that anthropogenic factors are key to predicting whether a location is invaded, but that invasion severity is underpinned by native diversity, with higher diversity predicting lower invasion severity. Temperature and precipitation emerge as strong predictors of invasion strategy, with non-native species invading successfully when they are similar to the native community in cold or dry extremes. Yet, despite the influence of these ecological forces in determining invasion strategy, we find evidence that these patterns can be obscured by human activity, with lower ecological signal in areas with higher proximity to shipping ports. Our global perspective of non-native tree invasion highlights that human drivers influence non-native tree presence, and that native phylogenetic and functional diversity have a critical role in the establishment and spread of subsequent invasions
Evenness mediates the global relationship between forest productivity and richness
1. Biodiversity is an important component of natural ecosystems, with higher species richness often correlating with an increase in ecosystem productivity. Yet, this relationship varies substantially across environments, typically becoming less pronounced at high levels of species richness. However, species richness alone cannot reflect all important properties of a community, including community evenness, which may mediate the relationship between biodiversity and productivity. If the evenness of a community correlates negatively with richness across forests globally, then a greater number of species may not always increase overall diversity and productivity of the system. Theoretical work and local empirical studies have shown that the effect of evenness on ecosystem functioning may be especially strong at high richness levels, yet the consistency of this remains untested at a global scale.2. Here, we used a dataset of forests from across the globe, which includes composition, biomass accumulation and net primary productivity, to explore whether productivity correlates with community evenness and richness in a way that evenness appears to buffer the effect of richness. Specifically, we evaluated whether low levels of evenness in speciose communities correlate with the attenuation of the richness–productivity relationship.3. We found that tree species richness and evenness are negatively correlated across forests globally, with highly speciose forests typically comprising a few dominant and many rare species. Furthermore, we found that the correlation between diversity and productivity changes with evenness: at low richness, uneven communities are more productive, while at high richness, even communities are more productive.4. Synthesis. Collectively, these results demonstrate that evenness is an integral component of the relationship between biodiversity and productivity, and that the attenuating effect of richness on forest productivity might be partly explained by low evenness in speciose communities. Productivity generally increases with species richness, until reduced evenness limits the overall increases in community diversity. Our research suggests that evenness is a fundamental component of biodiversity–ecosystem function relationships, and is of critical importance for guiding conservation and sustainable ecosystem management decisions
The global biogeography of tree leaf form and habit
Understanding what controls global leaf type variation in trees is crucial for comprehending their role in terrestrial ecosystems, including carbon, water and nutrient dynamics. Yet our understanding of the factors influencing forest leaf types remains incomplete, leaving us uncertain about the global proportions of needle-leaved, broadleaved, evergreen and deciduous trees. To address these gaps, we conducted a global, ground-sourced assessment of forest leaf-type variation by integrating forest inventory data with comprehensive leaf form (broadleaf vs needle-leaf) and habit (evergreen vs deciduous) records. We found that global variation in leaf habit is primarily driven by isothermality and soil characteristics, while leaf form is predominantly driven by temperature. Given these relationships, we estimate that 38% of global tree individuals are needle-leaved evergreen, 29% are broadleaved evergreen, 27% are broadleaved deciduous and 5% are needle-leaved deciduous. The aboveground biomass distribution among these tree types is approximately 21% (126.4 Gt), 54% (335.7 Gt), 22% (136.2 Gt) and 3% (18.7 Gt), respectively. We further project that, depending on future emissions pathways, 17–34% of forested areas will experience climate conditions by the end of the century that currently support a different forest type, highlighting the intensification of climatic stress on existing forests. By quantifying the distribution of tree leaf types and their corresponding biomass, and identifying regions where climate change will exert greatest pressure on current leaf types, our results can help improve predictions of future terrestrial ecosystem functioning and carbon cycling
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