3,018 research outputs found
Compensation of B-L charge of matter with relic sneutrinos
We consider massless gauge boson connected to B-L charge with and without
compensation to complete the investigation of the gauging of B and L charges.
Relic sneutrinos predicted by SUSY and composite models may compensate B-L
charge of matter. As a consequence of the possible compensation mechanism we
have shown that the available experimental data admit the range of the B-L
interaction constant, 10^{-29} < {\alpha}_{B-L} < 10^{-12}, in addition to
{\alpha}_{B-L} < 10^{-49} obtained without compensation.Comment: 6 page
Drug resistance in B and non-B subtypes amongst subjects recently diagnosed as primary/recent or chronic HIV-infected over the period 2013–2016: Impact on susceptibility to first-line strategies including integrase strand-transfer inhibitors
Objectives To characterize the prevalence of transmitted drug resistance mutations (TDRMs) by plasma analysis of 750 patients at the time of HIV diagnosis from January 1, 2013 to November 16, 2016 in the Veneto region (Italy), where all drugs included in the recommended first line therapies were prescribed, included integrase strand transfer inhibitors (InNSTI). Methods TDRMs were defined according to the Stanford HIV database algorithm. Results Subtype B was the most prevalent HIV clade (67.3%). A total of 92 patients (12.3%) were expected to be resistant to one drug at least, most with a single class mutation (60/68–88.2% in subtype B infected subjectsand 23/24–95.8% in non-B subjects) and affecting mainly NNRTIs. No significant differences were observed between the prevalence rates of TDRMs involving one or more drugs, except for the presence of E138A quite only in patients with B subtype and other NNRTI in subjects with non-B infection. The diagnosis of primary/recent infection was made in 73 patients (9.7%): they had almost only TDRMs involving a single class. Resistance to InSTI was studied in 484 subjects (53 with primary-recent infection), one patient had 143C in 2016, a total of thirteen 157Q mutations were detected (only one in primary/recent infection). Conclusions Only one major InSTI-TDRM was identified but monitoring of TDRMs should continue in the light of continuing presence of NNRTI-related mutation amongst newly diagnosed subjects, sometime impacting also to modern NNRTI drugs recommended in first-line therapy
Percentagem de espĂ©cies de percevejos pentatomĂdeos ao longo do ciclo da soja no Norte do Paraná.
The imaging properties of the Gas Pixel Detector as a focal plane polarimeter
X-rays are particularly suited to probe the physics of extreme objects.
However, despite the enormous improvements of X-ray Astronomy in imaging,
spectroscopy and timing, polarimetry remains largely unexplored. We propose the
photoelectric polarimeter Gas Pixel Detector (GPD) as an instrument candidate
to fill the gap of more than thirty years of lack of measurements. The GPD, in
the focus of a telescope, will increase the sensitivity of orders of magnitude.
Moreover, since it can measure the energy, the position, the arrival time and
the polarization angle of every single photon, allows to perform polarimetry of
subsets of data singled out from the spectrum, the light curve or the image of
source. The GPD has an intrinsic very fine imaging capability and in this work
we report on the calibration campaign carried out in 2012 at the PANTER X-ray
test facility of the Max-Planck-Institut f\"ur extraterrestrische Physik of
Garching (Germany) in which, for the first time, we coupled it to a JET-X
optics module with a focal length of 3.5 m and an angular resolution of 18
arcsec at 4.5 keV. This configuration was proposed in 2012 aboard the X-ray
Imaging Polarimetry Explorer (XIPE) in response to the ESA call for a small
mission. We derived the imaging and polarimetric performance for extended
sources like Pulsar Wind Nebulae and Supernova Remnants as case studies for the
XIPE configuration, discussing also possible improvements by coupling the
detector with advanced optics, having finer angular resolution and larger
effective area, to study with more details extended objects.Comment: Accepted for publication in The Astrophysical Journal Supplemen
Intermittent docetaxel chemotherapy as first-line treatment for metastatic castration-resistant prostate cancer patients
Aims: The intermittent administration of chemotherapy is a means of preserving patients' quality of life (QL). The aim of this study was to verify whether the intermittent administration of docetaxel (DOC) improves the patients' QL. Patients & methods: All patients received DOC 70 mg/m every 3 weeks for eight cycles. The patients were randomized to receive DOC continuously or with a fixed 3-month interval after the first four DOC courses. Results: The study involved 148 patients. There was no difference in QL between the groups receiving intermittent or continuous treatment. Intermittence had no detrimental effects on disease control. Conclusion: Although feasible and not detrimental, our results showed that true intermittent chemotherapy in metastatic castration-resistant prostate cancer patients failed to improve the patients' QL
Affleck-Dine dynamics and the dark sector of pangenesis
Pangenesis is the mechanism for jointly producing the visible and dark matter
asymmetries via Affleck-Dine dynamics in a baryon-symmetric universe. The
baryon-symmetric feature means that the dark asymmetry cancels the visible
baryon asymmetry and thus enforces a tight relationship between the visible and
dark matter number densities. The purpose of this paper is to analyse the
general dynamics of this scenario in more detail and to construct specific
models. After reviewing the simple symmetry structure that underpins all
baryon-symmetric models, we turn to a detailed analysis of the required
Affleck-Dine dynamics. Both gravity-mediated and gauge-mediated supersymmetry
breaking are considered, with the messenger scale left arbitrary in the latter,
and the viable regions of parameter space are determined. In the gauge-mediated
case where gravitinos are light and stable, the regime where they constitute a
small fraction of the dark matter density is identified. We discuss the
formation of Q-balls, and delineate various regimes in the parameter space of
the Affleck-Dine potential with respect to their stability or lifetime and
their decay modes. We outline the regions in which Q-ball formation and decay
is consistent with successful pangenesis. Examples of viable dark sectors are
presented, and constraints are derived from big bang nucleosynthesis, large
scale structure formation and the Bullet cluster. Collider signatures and
implications for direct dark matter detection experiments are briefly
discussed. The following would constitute evidence for pangenesis:
supersymmetry, GeV-scale dark matter mass(es) and a Z' boson with a significant
invisible width into the dark sector.Comment: 51 pages, 7 figures; v2: minor modifications, comments and references
added; v3: minor changes, matches published versio
Cardiosphere-derived cells suppress allogeneic lymphocytes by production of PGE2 acting via the EP4 receptor
derived cells (CDCs) are a cardiac progenitor cell population, which have been shown to possess cardiac regenerative properties and can improve heart function in a variety of cardiac diseases. Studies in large animal models have predominantly focussed on using autologous cells for safety, however allogeneic cell banks would allow for a practical, cost-effective and efficient use in a clinical setting. The aim of this work was to determine the immunomodulatory status of these cells using CDCs and lymphocytes from 5 dogs. CDCs expressed MHC I but not MHC II molecules and in mixed lymphocyte reactions demonstrated a lack of lymphocyte proliferation in response to MHC-mismatched CDCs. Furthermore, MHC-mismatched CDCs suppressed lymphocyte proliferation and activation in response to Concanavalin A. Transwell experiments demonstrated that this was predominantly due
to direct cell-cell contact in addition to soluble mediators whereby CDCs produced high levels of PGE2
under inflammatory conditions. This led to down-regulation of CD25 expression on lymphocytes via the
EP4 receptor. Blocking prostaglandin synthesis restored both, proliferation and activation (measured via CD25 expression) of stimulated lymphocytes. We demonstrated for the first time in a large animal model that CDCs inhibit proliferation in allo-reactive lymphocytes and have potent immunosuppressive activity mediated via PGE2
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