The Phase Diagram and Spectrum of Gauge-Fixed Abelian Lattice Gauge Theory

We consider a lattice discretization of a covariantly gauge-fixed abelian gauge theory. The gauge fixing is part of the action defining the theory, and we study the phase diagram in detail. As there is no BRST symmetry on the lattice, counterterms are needed, and we construct those explicitly. We show that the proper adjustment of these counterterms drives the theory to a new type of phase transition, at which we recover a continuum theory of (free) photons. We present both numerical and (one-loop) perturbative results, and show that they are in good agreement near this phase transition. Since perturbation theory plays an important role, it is important to choose a discretization of the gauge-fixing action such that lattice perturbation theory is valid. Indeed, we find numerical evidence that lattice actions not satisfying this requirement do not lead to the desired continuum limit. While we do not consider fermions here, we argue that our results, in combination with previous work, provide very strong evidence that this new phase transition can be used to define abelian lattice chiral gauge theories.Comment: 42 pages, 30 figure

Patterns of chromosomal copy-number alterations in intrahepatic cholangiocarcinoma

BACKGROUND: Intrahepatic cholangiocarcinomas (ICC) are relatively rare malignant tumors associated with a poor prognosis. Recent studies using genome-wide sequencing technologies have mainly focused on identifying new driver mutations. There is nevertheless a need to investigate the spectrum of copy number aberrations in order to identify potential target genes in the altered chromosomal regions. The aim of this study was to characterize the patterns of chromosomal copy-number alterations (CNAs) in ICC. METHODS: 53 patients having ICC with frozen material were selected. In 47 cases, DNA hybridization has been performed on a genomewide SNP array. A procedure with a segmentation step and a calling step classified genomic regions into copy-number aberration states. We identified the exclusively amplified and deleted recurrent genomic areas. These areas are those showing the highest estimated propensity level for copy loss (resp. copy gain) together with the lowest level for copy gain (resp. copy loss). We investigated ICC clustering. We analyzed the relationships between CNAs and clinico-pathological characteristics. RESULTS: The overall genomic profile of ICC showed many alterations with higher rates for the deletions. Exclusively deleted genomic areas were 1p, 3p and 14q. The main exclusively amplified genomic areas were 1q, 7p, 7q and 8q. Based on the exclusively deleted/amplified genomic areas, a clustering analysis identified three tumors groups: the first group characterized by copy loss of 1p and copy gain of 7p, the second group characterized by 1p and 3p copy losses without 7p copy gain, the last group characterized mainly by very few CNAs. From univariate analyses, the number of tumors, the size of the largest tumor and the stage were significantly associated with shorter time recurrence. We found no relationship between the number of altered cytobands or tumor groups and time to recurrence. CONCLUSION: This study describes the spectrum of chromosomal aberrations across the whole genome. Some of the recurrent exclusive CNAs harbor candidate target genes. Despite the absence of correlation between CNAs and clinico-pathological characteristics, the co-occurence of 7p gain and 1p loss in a subgroup of patients may suggest a differential activation of EGFR and its downstream pathways, which may have a potential effect on targeted therapies

Chiral Fermions on the Lattice through Gauge Fixing -- Perturbation Theory

We study the gauge-fixing approach to the construction of lattice chiral gauge theories in one-loop weak-coupling perturbation theory. We show how infrared properties of the gauge degrees of freedom determine the nature of the continuous phase transition at which we take the continuum limit. The fermion self-energy and the vacuum polarization are calculated, and confirm that, in the abelian case, this approach can be used to put chiral gauge theories on the lattice in four dimensions. We comment on the generalization to the nonabelian case.Comment: 31 pages, 5 figures, two refs. adde

Bioavailability, Antipsoriatic Efficacy and Tolerability of a New Light Cream with Mometasone Furoate 0.1%

Mometasone furoate, a potent glucocorticoid (class III) with a favorable benefit/risk ratio, has emerged as a standard medication for the treatment of inflammatory skin disorders. The purpose of the investigation presented here was to determine the noninferiority of a topical mometasone formulation, a light cream (O/W 60/40 emulsion) with mometasone furoate 0.1% (water content of 33%) versus marketed comparators. Using the vasoconstrictor assay, a strong blanching effect of the new cream (called Mometasone cream) comparable to that of a mometasone comparator, a fatty cream with mometasone furoate 0.1%, could be demonstrated. Thus, the topical bioavailability of the active ingredient mometasone furoate (0.1%) was regarded to be similar for Mometasone cream and the mometasone comparator. Using the psoriasis plaque test, a strong antipsoriatic effect comparable to that of the mometasone comparator was found for Mometasone cream after 12 days of occlusive treatment. A nearly identical reduction in the mean infiltrate thickness and similar mean AUC values were noted with both formulations confirmed by clinical assessment data. The noninferiority of Mometasone cream to its active comparator with re-spect to the AUC of change to baseline in infiltrate thickness was demonstrated. Both medications were well tolerated. Overall, Mometasone cream and the mometasone comparator showed similar efficacy and tolerability. Mometasone cream, in addition to its high potency and good tolerability, provides the properties of a light cream, which might make this new medication particularly suitable for application on acutely inflamed and sensitive skin. Copyright (C) 2012 S. Karger AG, Base

The Standard Model from a New Phase Transition on the Lattice

Several years ago it was conjectured in the so-called Roma Approach, that gauge fixing is an essential ingredient in the lattice formulation of chiral gauge theories. In this paper we discuss in detail how the gauge-fixing approach may be realized. As in the usual (gauge invariant) lattice formulation, the continuum limit corresponds to a gaussian fixed point, that now controls both the transversal and the longitudinal modes of the gauge field. A key role is played by a new phase transition separating a conventional Higgs or Higgs-confinement phase, from a phase with broken rotational invariance. In the continuum limit we expect to find a scaling region, where the lattice correlators reproduce the euclidean correlation functions of the target (chiral) gauge theory, in the corresponding continuum gauge.Comment: 16 pages, revtex, one figure. Clarifications made, mainly in sections 3 and 6 that deal with the fermion action, to appear in Phys Rev

Vilnius Declaration on chronic respiratory diseases : multisectoral care pathways embedding guided self-management, mHealth and air pollution in chronic respiratory diseases

Correction: Volume: 10 Issue: 1 Article Number: 49 DOI: 10.1186/s13601-020-00357-4 Published: DEC 17 2020Background: Over 1 billion people suffer from chronic respiratory diseases such as asthma, COPD, rhinitis and rhinosinusitis. They cause an enormous burden and are considered as major non-communicable diseases. Many patients are still uncontrolled and the cost of inaction is unacceptable. A meeting was held in Vilnius, Lithuania (March 23, 2018) under the patronage of the Ministry of Health and several scientific societies to propose multisectoral care pathways embedding guided self-management, mHealth and air pollution in selected chronic respiratory diseases (rhinitis, chronic rhinosinusitis, asthma and COPD). The meeting resulted in the Vilnius Declaration that was developed by the participants of the EU Summit on chronic respiratory diseases under the leadership of Euforea. Conclusion: The Vilnius Declaration represents an important step for the fight against air pollution in chronic respiratory diseases globally and has a clear strategic relevance with regard to the EU Health Strategy as it will bring added value to the existing public health knowledge.Peer reviewe

Paracoccidioidomicose enzoótica em tatus (Dasypus novemcinctus) no estado do Pará

Paracoccidioides brasiliensis foi encontrado, por inoculação de triturado de fígado e baço em hamsters, em 4 de 20 tatus (Dasypus novemcinctus) examinados na região de Tucuruí, Pará. Hamsters inoculados por via intradérmica e peritoneal com o parasito desenvolveram infecções generalizadas e morreram em 1½ a 13 meses. A diagnose do fungo foi confirmada por histopatologia e cultura. Não se observaram sinais macroscópios de doenças nos tatus. A distribuição geográfica de D. novemcinctus abrange a área endêmica de paracoccidioidomicose humana, sugerindo-se que o tatu tenha algum papel na ecologia do fungo

Quasi-Normal Modes of Stars and Black Holes

Perturbations of stars and black holes have been one of the main topics of relativistic astrophysics for the last few decades. They are of particular importance today, because of their relevance to gravitational wave astronomy. In this review we present the theory of quasi-normal modes of compact objects from both the mathematical and astrophysical points of view. The discussion includes perturbations of black holes (Schwarzschild, Reissner-Nordstr\"om, Kerr and Kerr-Newman) and relativistic stars (non-rotating and slowly-rotating). The properties of the various families of quasi-normal modes are described, and numerical techniques for calculating quasi-normal modes reviewed. The successes, as well as the limits, of perturbation theory are presented, and its role in the emerging era of numerical relativity and supercomputers is discussed.Comment: 74 pages, 7 figures, Review article for "Living Reviews in Relativity

ARGOS: the laser guide star system for the LBT

ARGOS is the Laser Guide Star adaptive optics system for the Large Binocular Telescope. Aiming for a wide field adaptive optics correction, ARGOS will equip both sides of LBT with a multi laser beacon system and corresponding wavefront sensors, driving LBT's adaptive secondary mirrors. Utilizing high power pulsed green lasers the artificial beacons are generated via Rayleigh scattering in earth's atmosphere. ARGOS will project a set of three guide stars above each of LBT's mirrors in a wide constellation. The returning scattered light, sensitive particular to the turbulence close to ground, is detected in a gated wavefront sensor system. Measuring and correcting the ground layers of the optical distortions enables ARGOS to achieve a correction over a very wide field of view. Taking advantage of this wide field correction, the science that can be done with the multi object spectrographs LUCIFER will be boosted by higher spatial resolution and strongly enhanced flux for spectroscopy. Apart from the wide field correction ARGOS delivers in its ground layer mode, we foresee a diffraction limited operation with a hybrid Sodium laser Rayleigh beacon combination.12 page(s

The impact of a brief lifestyle intervention delivered by generalist community nurses (CN SNAP trial)

BackgroundThe risk factors for chronic disease, smoking, poor nutrition, hazardous alcohol consumption, physical inactivity and weight (SNAPW) are common in primary health care (PHC) affording opportunity for preventive interventions. Community nurses are an important component of PHC in Australia. However there has been little research evaluating the effectiveness of lifestyle interventions in routine community nursing practice. This study aimed to address this gap in our knowledge.MethodsThe study was a quasi-experimental trial involving four generalist community nursing (CN) services in New South Wales, Australia. Two services were randomly allocated to an ‘early intervention’ and two to a ‘late intervention’ group. Nurses in the early intervention group received training and support in identifying risk factors and offering brief lifestyle intervention for clients. Those in the late intervention group provided usual care for the first 6 months and then received training. Clients aged 30–80 years who were referred to the services between September 2009 and September 2010 were recruited prior to being seen by the nurse and baseline self-reported data collected. Data on their SNAPW risk factors, readiness to change these behaviours and advice and referral received about their risk factors in the previous 3 months were collected at baseline, 3 and 6 months. Analysis compared changes using univariate and multilevel regression techniques.Results804 participants were recruited from 2361 (34.1%) eligible clients. The proportion of clients who recalled receiving dietary or physical activity advice increased between baseline and 3 months in the early intervention group (from 12.9 to 23.3% and 12.3 to 19.1% respectively) as did the proportion who recalled being referred for dietary or physical activity interventions (from 9.5 to 15.6% and 5.8 to 21.0% respectively). There was no change in the late intervention group. There a shift towards greater readiness to change in those who were physically inactive in the early but not the comparison group. Clients in both groups reported being more physically active and eating more fruit and vegetables but there were no significant differences between groups at 6 months.ConclusionThe study demonstrated that although the intervention was associated with increases in advice and referral for diet or physical activity and readiness for change in physical activity, this did not translate into significant changes in lifestyle behaviours or weight. This suggests a need to facilitate referral to more intensive long-term interventions for clients with risk factors identified by primary health care nurses