38 research outputs found
Non-minimal coupling of the Higgs boson to curvature in an inflationary universe
In the absence of new physics around 10^10 GeV, the electroweak vacuum is at best metastable. This represents a major challenge for high scale in ationary models as, during the early rapid expansion of the universe, it seems difficult to understand how the Higgs vacuum would not decay to the true lower vacuum of the theory with catas- trophic consequences if inflation took place at a scale above 10^10 GeV. In this paper we show that the non-minimal coupling of the Higgs boson to curvature could solve this problem by generating a direct coupling of the Higgs boson to the inflationary potential thereby stabilizing the electroweak vacuum. For specific values of the Higgs field initial condition and of its non-minimal coupling, inflation can drive the Higgs field to the electroweak vacuum quickly during inflation
Cannabinoid-based drugs targeting CB1 and TRPV1, the sympathetic nervous system, and arthritis
Optical Emission Spectroscopic Study of the Synthesis of Titanium Boride Nanoparticles in RF Thermal Plasma Reactor
Identification of mycoparasitism-related genes in Clonostachys rosea 67-1 active against Sclerotinia sclerotiorum
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Towards testing the theory of gravity with DESI: Summary statistics, model predictions and future simulation requirements
Shortly after its discovery, General Relativity (GR) was applied to predict the behavior of our Universe on the largest scales, and later became the foundation of modern cosmology. Its validity has been verified on a range of scales and environments from the Solar system to merging black holes. However, experimental confirmations of GR on cosmological scales have so far lacked the accuracy one would hope for-its applications on those scales being largely based on extrapolation and its validity there sometimes questioned in the shadow of the discovery of the unexpected cosmic acceleration. Future astronomical instruments surveying the distribution and evolution of galaxies over substantial portions of the observable Universe, such as the Dark Energy Spectroscopic Instrument (DESI), will be able to measure the fingerprints of gravity and their statistical power will allow strong constraints on alternatives to GR. In this paper, based on a set of N-body simulations and mock galaxy catalogs, we study the predictions of a number of traditional and novel summary statistics beyond linear redshift distortions in two well-studied modified gravity models-chameleon f(R) gravity and a braneworld model-and the potential of testing these deviations from GR using DESI. These summary statistics employ a wide array of statistical properties of the galaxy and the underlying dark matter field, including two-point and higher-order statistics, environmental dependence, redshift space distortions and weak lensing. We find that they hold promising power for testing GR to unprecedented precision. The major future challenge is to make realistic, simulation-based mock galaxy catalogs for both GR and alternative models to fully exploit the statistic power of the DESI survey (by matching the volumes and galaxy number densities of the mocks to those in the real survey) and to better understand the impact of key systematic effects. Using these, we identify future simulation and analysis needs for gravity tests using DESI
Bronchoalveolar lavage fluid peptidomics suggests a possible matrix metalloproteinase-3 role in bronchopulmonary dysplasia
Bronchoalveolar lavage fluid (BALF) is an important diagnostic source to
investigate molecular changes occurring in lung disorders. The objective
of this study was to assess and compare the peptidomic profiles of BALF
from premature neonates with and without bronchopulmonary dysplasia (BPD).
Samples were obtained on the 3rd day of life from 34 neonates with gestational age a parts per thousand currency sign32 weeks. Two pools of samples from patients with and without BPD were analyzed by high performance liquid chromatography. Several differentially expressed peptides were collected and sequenced. Moreover, samples from single
donors were analyzed by liquid chromatography-electrospray ionization
mass spectrometry to define the molecular mass values of various
peptides and to quantify their expression. Levels of some matrix
metalloproteinases and their tissue inhibitors were also determined in
single samples.
Neonates of the BPD group (N = 16) showed significantly lower mean
gestational age and birth weight with respect to the no-BPD group (N = 18; P < 0.0001). Levels of six peptides were significantly higher in BPD patients (P < 0.05). Two of them were identified as the albumin fragments 1-21 (2,428 Da) and 399-406 (956 Da). Levels of matrix
metalloproteinase-3 (MMP-3) enzyme probably involved in albumin fragment
generation were also significantly higher in the BPD group compared to
the no-BPD group (P < 0.05), whereas the levels of tissue inhibitor of
metalloproteinases-1 were significantly lower (P < 0.05). Levels of albumin fragments and MMP-3 showed a significant correlation (P < 0.05).
This study shows that proteomic techniques can be applied to investigate
the involvement of proteolytic enzymes on the airways of mechanically
ventilated premature infants