599 research outputs found
Scattering processes could distinguish Majorana from Dirac neutrinos
It is well known that Majorana neutrinos have a pure axial neutral current
interaction while Dirac neutrinos have the standard vector-axial interaction.
In spite of this crucial difference, usually Dirac neutrino processes differ
from Majorana processes by a term proportional to the neutrino mass, resulting
in almost unmeasurable observations of this difference. In the present work we
show that once the neutrino polarization evolution is considered, there are
clear differences between Dirac and Majorana scattering on electrons. The
change of polarization can be achieved in astrophysical environments with
strong magnetic fields. Furthermore, we show that in the case of unpolarized
neutrino scattering onto polarized electrons, this difference can be relevant
even for large values of the neutrino energy.Comment: 12 pages, 5 figure
Characterizing the dust content of disk substructures in TW Hya
We present Atacama Large Millimeter Array (ALMA) observations of TW Hya at
3.1 mm with milliarcsecond resolution. These new data were combined
with archival high angular resolution ALMA observations at 0.87 mm, 1.3 mm, and
2.1 mm. We analyze these multi-wavelength data to infer a disk radial profile
of the dust surface density, maximum particle size, and slope of the particle
size distribution. Most previously known annular substructures in the disk of
TW Hya are resolved at the four wavelengths. Inside the inner 3 au cavity, the
2.1 mm and 3.1 mm images show a compact source of free-free emission, likely
associated with an ionized jet. Our multi-wavelength analysis of the dust
emission shows that the maximum particle size in the disk of TW Hya is mm.
The inner 20 au are completely optically thick at all four bands, which results
in the data tracing different disk heights at different wavelengths. Coupled
with the effects of dust settling, this prevents the derivation of accurate
density and grain size estimates in these regions. At au, we find
evidence of the accumulation of large dust particle at the position of the
bright rings, indicating that these are working as dust traps. The total dust
mass in the disk is between 250 and 330 , which represents a
gas-to-dust mass ratio between 50 and 70. Our mass measurement is a factor of
4.5-5.9 higher than the mass that one would estimate using the typical
assumptions of large demographic surveys. Our results indicate that the ring
substructures in TW Hya are ideal locations to trigger the streaming
instability and form new generations of planetesimals.Comment: 22 pages, 17 figures, accepted for publication in A&A. Language
edited versio
The Right to Code and Share Arms
Glycerol is, to date, the most widely used cryoprotectant to freeze stallion spermatozoa at concentrations between 2% and 5%. Cryoprotectant toxicity has been claimed to be the single most limiting factor for the success of cryopreservation. In order to evaluate the toxic effects of the concentrations of glycerol used in practice, stallion spermatozoa were incubated in Biggers Whitten and Whittingham (BWW) media supplemented with 0%, 0.5%, 1.5%, 2.5%, 3.5%, and 5% glycerol. In two additional experiments, a hyposmotic (75 mOsm/kg) and a hyperosmotic (900 mOsm/kg) control media were included. Sperm parameters evaluated included cell volume, membrane integrity, lipid peroxidation, caspase 3, 7, and 8 activation, mitochondrial membrane potential, and integrity of the cytoskeleton. Glycerol exerted toxicity at concentrations 3.5% and the maximal toxicity was observed at 5%. The actin cytoskeleton was especially sensitive to glycerol presence, inducing rapid F actin depolymerization at concentrations over 1.5%. The sperm membrane and the mitochondria were other structures affected. The toxicity of glycerol is apparently related to osmotic and nonosmotic effects. In view of our results the concentration of glycerol in the freezing media for stallion spermatozoa should not surpass 2.5%.Funding Agencies|Ministerio de Ciencia e Innovacion-FEDER Madrid, Spain|AGL 2010 20758 (GAN)|Inia|RZ2008-00018-00-00|Junta de Extremadura FEDER GR|10010
Magnesium in Kidney Function and DiseaseâImplications for Aging and SexâA Narrative Review
Magnesium (Mg) has a vital role in the human body, and the kidney is a key organ in the metabolism and excretion of this cation. The objective of this work is to compile the available evidence regarding the role that Mg plays in health and disease, with a special focus on the elderly population with chronic kidney disease (CKD) and the eventual sex differences. A narrative review was carried out by executing an exhaustive search in the PubMed, Scopus, and Cochrane databases. Ten studies were found in which the role of Mg and sex was evaluated in elderly patients with CKD in the last 10 years (2012â2022). The progression of CKD leads to alterations in mineral metabolism, which worsen as the disease progresses. Mg can be used as a coadjuvant in the treatment of CKD patients to improve glomerular filtration, but its use in clinical applications needs to be further characterized. In conclusion, thereâs a need for well-designed prospective clinical trials to advise and standardize Mg supplementation in daily clinical practice, taking age and sex into consideration
Sterile neutrino portal to Dark Matter II: exact dark symmetry
We analyze a simple extension of the standard model (SM) with a dark sector composed of a scalar and a fermion, both singlets under the SM gauge group but charged under a dark sector symmetry group. Sterile neutrinos, which are singlets under both groups, mediate the interactions between the dark sector and the SM particles, and generate masses for the active neutrinos via the seesaw mechanism. We explore the parameter space region where the observed Dark Matter relic abundance is determined by the annihilation into sterile neutrinos, both for fermion and scalar Dark Matter particles. The scalar Dark Matter case provides an interesting alternative to the usual Higgs portal scenario. We also study the constraints from direct Dark Matter searches and the prospects for indirect detection via sterile neutrino decays to leptons, which may be able to rule out Dark Matter masses below and around 100 GeV
The pre-launch Planck Sky Model: a model of sky emission at submillimetre to centimetre wavelengths
We present the Planck Sky Model (PSM), a parametric model for the generation
of all-sky, few arcminute resolution maps of sky emission at submillimetre to
centimetre wavelengths, in both intensity and polarisation. Several options are
implemented to model the cosmic microwave background, Galactic diffuse emission
(synchrotron, free-free, thermal and spinning dust, CO lines), Galactic H-II
regions, extragalactic radio sources, dusty galaxies, and thermal and kinetic
Sunyaev-Zeldovich signals from clusters of galaxies. Each component is
simulated by means of educated interpolations/extrapolations of data sets
available at the time of the launch of the Planck mission, complemented by
state-of-the-art models of the emission. Distinctive features of the
simulations are: spatially varying spectral properties of synchrotron and dust;
different spectral parameters for each point source; modeling of the clustering
properties of extragalactic sources and of the power spectrum of fluctuations
in the cosmic infrared background. The PSM enables the production of random
realizations of the sky emission, constrained to match observational data
within their uncertainties, and is implemented in a software package that is
regularly updated with incoming information from observations. The model is
expected to serve as a useful tool for optimizing planned microwave and
sub-millimetre surveys and to test data processing and analysis pipelines. It
is, in particular, used for the development and validation of data analysis
pipelines within the planck collaboration. A version of the software that can
be used for simulating the observations for a variety of experiments is made
available on a dedicated website.Comment: 35 pages, 31 figure
Venezuelan Equine Encephalitis Virus, Southern Mexico
Evidence of enzootic and endemic Venezuelan equine encephalitis virus circulation in southern Mexico since the 1996 epizootic was obtained from serosurveys and virus isolations
Vascular Inflammation in Subclinical Atherosclerosis Detected by Hybrid PET/MRI
BACKGROUND: Atherosclerosis is a chronic inflammatory disease, but data on arterial inflammation at early stages is limited. OBJECTIVES: The purpose of this study was to characterize vascular inflammation by hybrid 18F-fluorodeoxyglucose (18F-FDG) positron emission tomography/magnetic resonance imaging (PET/MRI). METHODS: Carotid, aortic, and ilio-femoral 18F-FDG PET/MRI was performed in 755 individuals (age 40 to 54 years; 83.7% men) with known plaques detected by 2-/3-dimensional vascular ultrasound and/or coronary calcification in the PESA (Progression of Early Subclinical Atherosclerosis) study. The authors evaluated the presence, distribution, and number of arterial inflammatory foci (increased 18F-FDG uptake) and plaques with or without inflammation (coincident 18F-FDG uptake). RESULTS: Arterial inflammation was present in 48.2% of individuals (24.4% femorals, 19.3% aorta, 15.8% carotids, and 9.3% iliacs) and plaques in 90.1% (73.9% femorals, 55.8% iliacs, and 53.1% carotids). 18F-FDG arterial uptakes and plaques significantly increased with cardiovascular risk factors (p < 0.01). Coincident 18F-FDG uptakes were present in 287 of 2,605 (11%) plaques, and most uptakes were detected in plaque-free arterial segments (459 of 746; 61.5%). Plaque burden, defined by plaque presence, number, and volume, was significantly higher in individuals with arterial inflammation than in those without (p < 0.01). The number of plaques and 18F-FDG uptakes showed a positive albeit weak correlation (r = 0.25; p < 0.001). CONCLUSIONS: Arterial inflammation is highly prevalent in middle-aged individuals with known subclinical atherosclerosis. Large-scale multiterritorial PET/MRI allows characterization of atherosclerosis-related arterial inflammation and demonstrates 18F-FDG uptake in plaque-free arterial segments and, less frequently, within plaques. These findings suggest an arterial inflammatory state at early stages of atherosclerosis. (Progression of Early Subclinical Atherosclerosis [PESA]; NCT01410318).The PESA study is cofunded equally by the Centro Nacional de Investigaciones Cardiovasculares (CNIC) and Banco Santander. The study also receives funding from the Instituto de Salud Carlos III (PI15/02019) and the European Regional Development Fund (ERDF) âA way to make Europe.â The CNIC is supported by the Ministerio de Ciencia, InnovaciĂłn y Universidades, and the Pro CNIC Foundation, and is a Severo Ochoa Center of Excellence (SEV-2015-0505). Dr. Sanchez-GonzĂĄlez is an employee of Philips Healthcare. Dr. Bueno has received research funding from the Instituto de Salud Carlos III, Spain (PIE16/00021 & PI17/01799), AstraZeneca, Bristol-Myers Squibb, Janssen, and Novartis; has received consulting fees from AstraZeneca, Bayer, Bristol-Myers Squibb-Pfizer, and Novartis; and has received speaking fees or support for attending scientific meetings from AstraZeneca, Bayer, Bristol-Myers Squibb-Pfizer, Novartis, and MEDSCAPE-the heart.org.S
Sterile neutrino portal to Dark Matter I: the U(1) BâL case
In this paper we explore the possibility that the sterile neutrino and Dark Matter sectors in the Universe have a common origin. We study the consequences of this assumption in the simple case of coupling the dark sector to the Standard Model via a global U(1)BâL, broken down spontaneously by a dark scalar. This dark scalar provides masses to the dark fermions and communicates with the Higgs via a Higgs portal coupling. We find an interesting interplay between Dark Matter annihilation to dark scalars â the CP-even that mixes with the Higgs and the CP-odd which becomes a Goldstone boson, the Majoron â and heavy neutrinos, as well as collider probes via the coupling to the Higgs. Moreover, Dark Matter annihilation into sterile neutrinos and its subsequent decay to gauge bosons and quarks, charged leptons or neutrinos lead to indirect detection signatures which are close to current bounds on the gamma ray flux from the galactic center and dwarf galaxies
- âŠ