75 research outputs found
Association of MRI T1 relaxation time with neuropsychological test performance in manganese- exposed welders
This study examines the results of neuropsychological testing of 26 active welders and 17 similar controls and their relationship to welders' shortened MRI T1 relaxation time, indicative of increased brain manganese (Mn) accumulation. Welders were exposed to Mn for an average duration of 12.25 years to average levels of Mn in air of 0.11±0.05mg/m3. Welders scored significantly worse than controls on Fruit Naming and the Parallel Lines test of graphomotor tremor. Welders had shorter MRI T1 relaxation times than controls in the globus pallidus, substantia nigra, caudate nucleus, and the anterior prefrontal lobe. 63% of the variation in MRI T1 relaxation times was accounted for by exposure group. In welders, lower relaxation times in the caudate nucleus and substantia nigra were associated with lower neuropsychological test performance on tests of verbal fluency (Fruit Naming), verbal learning, memory, and perseveration (WHO-UCLA AVLT). Results indicate that verbal function may be one of the first cognitive domains affected by brain Mn deposition in welders as reflected by MRI T1 relaxation times
Quantum Field Theory of Bose-Einstein Correlations
A Quantum Field Theory formulation of Bose-Einstein Correlations is given. It
contains as a special case the classical current approach. It is shown that the
particle-antiparticle correlations are a general feature of Bose-Einstein
Correlations and not an artifact of a certain approximation. Relations are
provided through which the quantum corrections to the classical current
approach can be determined experimentally.Comment: 12 pages, PostScript file in "Z.uu" format (self-extracting
Bounds for Bose-Einstein Correlation Functions
Bounds for the correlation functions of identical bosons are discussed for
the general case of a Gaussian density matrix. In particular, for a purely
chaotic system the two-particle correlation function must always be greater
than one. On the other hand, in the presence of a coherent component the
correlation function may take values below unity. The experimental situation is
briefly discussed.Comment: 7 pages, LaTeX, DMR-THEP-93-5/
Bose-Einstein Correlations for Systems with Large Halo
Model-independent considerations are presented for the calculation of
Bose-Einstein correlation functions and momentum distributions which describe
boson-emitting systems containing a central part surrounded by a large halo. If
the characteristic geometrical size of the halo is sufficiently large, the
contributions of central part and the halo to the invariant momentum
distribution are shown to be separable. The momentum-dependence of the
intercept parameter of the correlation function plays a central role. Almost
all high energy reactions including lepton-lepton, lepton hadron, hadron-hadron
and nuclear reactions are shown to be interpretable as boson emitting systems
with large halo. The results are applied to certain high energy heavy ion data
at CERN SPS. New insights are obtained for the description of low transverse
momentum enhancement of pions.Comment: Z. Phys. C in press, LaTeX, ReVTeX, 20 pages + 2 ps figure
Low Energy Chiral Lagrangian in Curved Space-Time from the Spectral Quark Model
We analyze the recently proposed Spectral Quark Model in the light of Chiral
Perturbation Theory in curved space-time. In particular, we calculate the
chiral coefficients , as well as the coefficients ,
, and , appearing when the model is coupled to gravity. The
analysis is carried for the SU(3) case. We analyze the pattern of chiral
symmetry breaking as well as elaborate on the fulfillment of anomalies.
Matching the model results to resonance meson exchange yields the relation
between the masses of the scalar, tensor and vector mesons,
. Finally, the
large- limit suggests the dual relations in the vector and scalar
channels, and .Comment: 18 pages, no figure
Scaling of the B and D meson spectrum in lattice QCD
We give results for the and the meson spectrum using NRQCD on the
lattice in the quenched approximation. The masses of radially and orbitally
excited states are calculated as well as -wave hyperfine and -wave fine
structure. Radially excited -states are observed for the first time. Radial
and orbital excitation energies match well to experiment, as does the
strange-non-strange -wave splitting. We compare the light and heavy quark
mass dependence of various splittings to experiment. Our -results cover a
range in lattice spacings of more than a factor of two. Our -results are
from a single lattice spacing and we compare them to numbers in the literature
from finer lattices using other methods. We see no significant dependence of
physical results on the lattice spacing.
PACS: 11.15.Ha 12.38.Gc 14.40.Lb 14.40.NdComment: 78 pages, 29 tables, 30 figures Revised version. Minor corrections to
spelling and wordin
Age-dependent associations between 25-hydroxy Vitamin D levels and COPD symptoms: Analysis of SPIROMICS
Introduction: Age and vitamin D levels may affect symptom burden in chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD). We used the Subpopulations and Intermediate Outcome Measures in COPD Study (SPIROMICS) to determine independent associations between vitamin D levels and COPD symptoms in different age strata. Methods: Serum 25-hydroxy (OH)-vitamin D levels were modeled continuously and categorically (65 years old), multivariable modeling was performed to identify relationships between 25-OH-vitamin D levels and the COPD Assessment Test (CAT), the modified Medical Research Council score (mMRC), the St George's Respiratory Questionnaire (SGRQ) total and subdomain scores, the Veterans' Specific Activity Questionnaire, and the 6-minute walk test distance. Results: In the middle-aged group, each 5ng/ml higher 25-OH-vitamin D level was independently associated with more favorable CAT score (-0.35[-0.67 to -0.03], P=0.03), total SGRQ (-0.91[-1.65 to -0.17]; P=0.02), and the SGRQ subdomains (Symptoms:-1.07[-1.96 to -0.18], P=0.02; Impact: -0.77[-1.53 to -0.003], P=0.049; Activity: -1.07[-1.96 to -0.18], P=0.02). These associations persisted after the addition of comorbidity score, reported vitamin D supplementation, outdoor time, or season of blood draw to models. No associations were observed between 25-OH-vitamin D levels and symptom scores in the older age group. Discussion: When controlled for clinically relevant covariates, higher 25-OH-vitamin D levels are associated with more favorable respiratory-specific symptoms and quality-of-life assessments in middle-age but not older COPD individuals. Study of the role of vitamin D supplementation in the symptom burden of younger COPD patients is needed
Towards resolution of the enigmas of P-wave meson spectroscopy
The mass spectrum of P-wave mesons is considered in a nonrelativistic
constituent quark model. The results show the common mass degeneracy of the
isovector and isodoublet states of the scalar and tensor meson nonets, and do
not exclude the possibility of a similar degeneracy of the same states of the
axial-vector and pseudovector nonets. Current experimental hadronic and \tau
-decay data suggest, however, a different scenario leading to the a_1 meson
mass \simeq 1190 MeV and the K_{1A}-K_{1B} mixing angle \simeq (37\pm 3)^o.
Possible s\bar{s} states of the four nonets are also discussed.Comment: 22 pages, LaTe
A Mechanistic Approach to Understanding Range Shifts in a Changing World: What Makes a Pioneer?
AbstractA speciesâ range can be thought of as a manifestation of the ecological niche in space. Within a niche, evolution has resulted in traits that maximize fitness. Across millennia, natural oscillations in temperature have caused shifts in the geographic location of appropriate habitat and with corresponding changes in speciesâ ranges. Contemporary climate change and human disturbance may lead to rapid range expansion or contractions with largely unknown consequences. Birds provide an excellent case study of this phenomenon with some taxa expanding range and others contracting even to the point of extinction. What leads some populations to expand while others contract? Are there physiological and behavioral attributes of âpioneersâ at the forefront of a range shift/expansion?The concept of allostasis provides a framework with which to begin to evaluate when a species will be able to successfully expand into new habitat. This tool allows the integration of normal energetic demands (e.g. wear and tear of daily and seasonal routines) with novel challenges posed by unfamiliar and human altered environments. Allostasis is particularly attractive because it allows assessment of how individual phenotypes may respond differentially to changing environments. Here, we use allostasis to evaluate what characteristics of individuals and their environment permit successful range expansion. Understanding variation in the regulatory mechanisms that influence response to a novel environment will be fundamental for understanding the phenotypes of pioneers
Measurement of D*±, D± and Ds± meson production cross sections in pp collisions at âs=7 TeV with the ATLAS detector
The production of Dâ±, D± and D±s charmed mesons has been measured with the ATLAS detector in pp collisions at âs= 7 TeV at the LHC, using data corresponding to an integrated luminosity of 280 nbâ1. The charmed mesons have been reconstructed in the range of transverse momentum 3.5 <pT(D) <100 GeV and pseudorapidity |η(D)| <2.1. The differential cross sections as a function of transverse momentum and pseudorapidity were measured for Dâ± and D± production. The next-to-leading-order QCD predictions are consistent with the data in the visible kinematic region within the large theoretical uncertainties. Using the visible D cross sections and an extrapolation to the full kinematic phase space, the strangeness-suppression factor in charm fragmentation, the fraction of charged non-strange D mesons produced in a vector state, and the total cross section of charm production at âs= 7 TeV were derived
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