Functional equations for one-loop master integrals for heavy-quark production and Bhabha scattering

The method for obtaining functional equations, recently proposed by one of the authors, is applied to one-loop box integrals needed in calculations of radiative corrections to heavy-quark production and Bhabha scattering. We present relationships between these integrals with different arguments and box integrals with all propagators being massless. It turns out that functional equations are rather useful for finding imaginary parts and performing analytic continuations of Feynman integrals. For the box master integral needed in Bhabha scattering, a new representation in terms of hypergeometric functions admitting one-fold integral representation is derived. The hypergeometric representation of a master integral for heavy-quark production follows from the functional equation.Comment: 14 pages, 3 figure

Advances in machine learning applications for cardiovascular 4D flow MRI

Four-dimensional flow magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) has evolved as a non-invasive imaging technique to visualize and quantify blood flow in the heart and vessels. Hemodynamic parameters derived from 4D flow MRI, such as net flow and peak velocities, but also kinetic energy, turbulent kinetic energy, viscous energy loss, and wall shear stress have shown to be of diagnostic relevance for cardiovascular diseases. 4D flow MRI, however, has several limitations. Its long acquisition times and its limited spatio-temporal resolutions lead to inaccuracies in velocity measurements in small and low-flow vessels and near the vessel wall. Additionally, 4D flow MRI requires long post-processing times, since inaccuracies due to the measurement process need to be corrected for and parameter quantification requires 2D and 3D contour drawing. Several machine learning (ML) techniques have been proposed to overcome these limitations. Existing scan acceleration methods have been extended using ML for image reconstruction and ML based super-resolution methods have been used to assimilate high-resolution computational fluid dynamic simulations and 4D flow MRI, which leads to more realistic velocity results. ML efforts have also focused on the automation of other post-processing steps, by learning phase corrections and anti-aliasing. To automate contour drawing and 3D segmentation, networks such as the U-Net have been widely applied. This review summarizes the latest ML advances in 4D flow MRI with a focus on technical aspects and applications. It is divided into the current status of fast and accurate 4D flow MRI data generation, ML based post-processing tools for phase correction and vessel delineation and the statistical evaluation of blood flow

Failure of hydrogenation in protecting polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons from fragmentation

A recent study of soft X-ray absorption in native and hydrogenated coronene cations, C$_{24}$H$_{12+m}^+$ $m=0-7$, led to the conclusion that additional hydrogen atoms protect (interstellar) Polycyclic Aromatic Hydrocarbon (PAH) molecules from fragmentation [Reitsma et al., Phys. Rev. Lett. 113, 053002 (2014)]. The present experiment with collisions between fast (30-200 eV) He atoms and pyrene (C$_{16}$H$_{10+m}^+$, $m=0$, 6, and 16) and simulations without reference to the excitation method suggests the opposite. We find that the absolute carbon-backbone fragmentation cross section does not decrease but increases with the degree of hydrogenation for pyrene molecules.Comment: 10 pages, 5 figure

Unusual hydrogen and hydroxyl migration in the fragmentation of excited doubly-positively-charged amino acids in the gas phase

We present a combined experimental and theoretical study of the fragmentation of doubly-positively- charged amino acids in the gas phase. The combination of ab initio molecular dynamics simulations with ion- molecule collisions followed by multiple-coincidence mass spectrometric techniques, allows us to obtain a complete picture of the fragmentation dynamics. In addition to the expected Coulomb explosion, we have found evidence of hydrogen and hydroxyl-group migration processes, which leads to unusual fragmentation product

Slow ion interaction with N-methylglycine and N-acetylglycine

N-acetyl glycine and N-methyl glycine molecules in the gas phase are ionized by electron exchange with slow O6+ ions at an energy of 48 keV. After ionization, the methyl and acetyl substituted glycines dissociate into fragments analogous to that resulting from ionization and fragmentation of amino acids and peptides, respectively. N-acetylglycine which contains a peptide bond also effectively tautomerizes to the diol form. Such tautomerization is typical for amino acids, however, we show that the tautomerization mechanism of the N-acetylglycine is differen

Fusion reaction dynamics of fullerene molecules

Systematic molecular dynamics simulations based on the self-consistent charge density functional tight-binding method have been performed for the molecular collisions inside clusters of fullerene molecules, after prompt atom knockouts by the keV ions. The thermodynamic and kinetic stabilities, as well as the bonding features, have been investigated for the most stable dumbbell dimers C+118, C+119 and C+12

Antithrombotic management and outcomes of patients with atrial fibrillation treated with NOACs early at the time of market introduction:Main results from the PREFER in AF Prolongation Registry

International audienceAbstract The management of patients with atrial fibrillation (AF) has rapidly changed with increasing use of non-vitamin K antagonist oral anticoagulants (NOACs) and changes in the use of rhythm control therapy. The prevention of thromboembolic events European Registry in Atrial Fibrillation Prolongation Registry (PREFER Prolongation) enrolled consecutive patients with AF on NOACs between 2014 and 2016 in a multicentre, prospective, observational study with one-year follow-up, focusing on the time of introduction of NOACs. Overall, 3783 patients were enrolled, with follow-up information available in 3223 (85%). Mean age was 72.2 ± 9.4 years, 40% were women, mean CHA 2 DS 2 VASc score was 3.4 ± 1.6, and 2587 (88.6%) had a CHA 2 DS 2 VASc score ≥ 2. Rivaroxaban was used in half of patients, and dabigatran and apixaban were used in about a quarter of patients each; edoxaban was not available for use in Europe at the time. Major cardiovascular event rate was low: serious events occurred in 74 patients (84 events, 2%), including 24 strokes (1%), 62 major bleeds (2%), of which 30 were life-threatening (1%) and 3 intracranial (0.1%), and 28 acute coronary syndromes (1%). Mortality was 2%. Antiarrhythmic drugs were used in about 50% of patients, catheter ablation in 5%. Adverse events were low in this contemporary European cohort of unselected AF patients treated with NOACs already at the time of their first introduction, despite high thromboembolic risk