418 research outputs found
From Construction Workers to Architects: Developing Scientific Research Capacity in Low-Income Countries
Solving global health challenges in a sustainable manner depends on explicitly addressing scientific capacity-building needs, as well as establishing long-term, meaningful partnerships with colleagues in the developing world
QCD analysis of inclusive B decay into charmonium
We compute the decay rates and -energy distributions of mesons into
the final state , where can be any one of the -wave or -wave
charmonia, at next-to-leading order in the strong coupling. We find that a
significant fraction of the observed , and must be
produced through pairs in a colour octet state and should therefore
be accompanied by more than one light hadron. At the same time we obtain
stringent constraints on some of the long-distance parameters for colour octet
production.Comment: 40 pages, RevTeX, 4 figure
Application of the NIA-AA research framework: Towards a biological definition of Alzheimer’s disease using cerebrospinal fluid biomarkers in the AIBL study
BACKGROUND: The National Institute on Aging and Alzheimer’s Association (NIA-AA) have proposed a new Research Framework: Towards a biological definition of Alzheimer’s disease, which uses a three-biomarker construct: Aß-amyloid, tau and neurodegeneration AT(N), to generate a biomarker based definition of Alzheimer’s disease. OBJECTIVES: To stratify AIBL participants using the new NIA-AA Research Framework using cerebrospinal fluid (CSF) biomarkers. To evaluate the clinical and cognitive profiles of the different groups resultant from the AT(N) stratification. To compare the findings to those that result from stratification using two-biomarker construct criteria (AT and/or A(N)). DESIGN: Individuals were classified as being positive or negative for each of the A, T, and (N) categories and then assigned to the appropriate AT(N) combinatorial group: A-T-(N)-; A+T-(N)-; A+T+(N)-; A+T-(N)+; A+T+(N)+; A-T+(N)-; A-T-(N)+; A-T+(N)+. In line with the NIA-AA research framework, these eight AT(N) groups were then collapsed into four main groups of interest (normal AD biomarkers, AD pathologic change, AD and non-AD pathologic change) and the respective clinical and cognitive trajectories over 4.5 years for each group were assessed. In two sensitivity analyses the methods were replicated after assigning individuals to four groups based on being positive or negative for AT biomarkers as well as A(N) biomarkers. SETTING: Two study centers in Melbourne (Victoria) and Perth (Western Australia), Australia recruited MCI individuals and individuals with AD from primary care physicians or tertiary memory disorder clinics. Cognitively healthy, elderly NCs were recruited through advertisement or via spouses of participants in the study. PARTICIPANTS: One-hundred and forty NC, 33 MCI participants, and 27 participants with AD from the AIBL study who had undergone CSF evaluation using Elecsys® assays. INTERVENTION (if any): Not applicable. MEASUREMENTS: Three CSF biomarkers, namely amyloid β1-42, phosphorylated tau181, and total tau, were measured to provide the AT(N) classifications. Clinical and cognitive trajectories were evaluated using the AIBL Preclinical Alzheimer Cognitive Composite (AIBL-PACC), a verbal episodic memory composite, an executive function composite, California Verbal Learning Test – Second Edition; Long-Delay Free Recall, Mini-Mental State Examination, and Clinical Dementia Rating Sum of Boxes scores. RESULTS: Thirty-eight percent of the elderly NCs had no evidence of abnormal AD biomarkers, whereas 33% had biomarker levels consistent with AD or AD pathologic change, and 29% had evidence of non-AD biomarker change. Among NC participants, those with biomarker evidence of AD pathology tended to perform worse on cognitive outcome assessments than other biomarker groups. Approximately three in four participants with MCI or AD had biomarker levels consistent with the research framework’s definition of AD or AD pathologic change. For MCI participants, a decrease in AIBL-PACC scores was observed with increasing abnormal biomarkers; and increased abnormal biomarkers were also associated with increased rates of decline across some cognitive measures. CONCLUSIONS: Increasing biomarker abnormality appears to be associated with worse cognitive trajectories. The implementation of biomarker classifications could help better characterize prognosis in clinical practice and identify those at-risk individuals more likely to clinically progress, for their inclusion in future therapeutic trials
Warm molecular and ionized gas kinematics in the type-2 quasar J0945+1737
We analyse Near-Infrared Integral Field Spectrograph (NIFS) observations of the type-2 quasar (QSO2) SDSS J094521.33+173753.2 to investigate its warm molecular and ionized gas kinematics. This QSO2 has a bolometric luminosity of 1045.7 erg s−1 and a redshift of z = 0.128. The K-band spectra provided by NIFS cover a range of 1.99–2.40 μm where low ionization (Paα and Brδ), high ionization ([S XI]λ1.920 μm and [Si VI]λ1.963 μm), and warm molecular lines (from H21-0S(5) to 1-0S(1)) are detected, allowing us to study the multi-phase gas kinematics. Our analysis reveals gas in ordinary rotation in all the emission lines detected and also outflowing gas in the case of the low and high ionization emission lines. In the case of the nuclear spectrum, which corresponds to a circular aperture of 0.3″ (686 pc) in diameter, the warm molecular lines can be characterized using a single Gaussian component of full width at half maximum (FWHM) = 350 − 400 km s−1, while Paα, Brδ, and [Si VI] are best fitted with two blue-shifted Gaussian components of FWHM ∼ 800 and 1700 km s−1, in addition to a narrow component of ∼300 km s−1. We interpret the blue-shifted broad components as outflowing gas, which reaches the highest velocities, of up to −840 km s−1, in the south-east direction (PA ∼ 125°), extending up to a distance of ∼3.4 kpc from the nucleus. The ionized outflow has a maximum mass outflow rate of Ṁout,max = 42–51 M⊙ yr−1, and its kinetic power represents 0.1% of the quasar bolometric luminosity. Very Large Array (VLA) data of J0945 show extended radio emission (PA ∼ 100°) that is aligned with the clumpy emission traced by the narrow component of the ionized lines up to scales of several kiloparsecs, and with the innermost part of the outflow (central ∼0.4″ = 915 pc). Beyond that radius, at the edge of the radio jet, the high velocity gas shows a different PA of ∼125°. This might be an indication that the line-emitting gas is being compressed and accelerated by the shocks generated by the radio jet
D-wave heavy quarkonium production in fixed target experiments
We calculate the -wave heavy quarkonium production at fixed target
experiments under the NRQCD factorization formalism. We find that the color
octet contributions are two orders of magnitude larger than color-singlet
contributions if color-octet matrix elements are taken according to the NRQCD
velocity scaling rules. Within the theoretical uncertainties, the prediction
for the production rate of -wave charmonium state agrees with the
preliminary result of E705 and other experiments. Searching for the
-wave state is further suggested.Comment: 13pages, 4 PS figures, final vertion to appear in PR
Warm molecular and ionized gas kinematics in the type-2 quasar J0945+1737
We analyse Near-Infrared Integral Field Spectrograph (NIFS) observations of the type-2 quasar (QSO2) SDSS J094521.33+173753.2 to investigate its warm molecular and ionized gas kinematics. This QSO2 has a bolometric luminosity of 1045.7 erg s−1 and a redshift of z = 0.128. The K-band spectra provided by NIFS cover a range of 1.99–2.40 μm where low ionization (Paα and Brδ), high ionization ([S XI]λ1.920 μm and [Si VI]λ1.963 μm), and warm molecular lines (from H21-0S(5) to 1-0S(1)) are detected, allowing us to study the multi-phase gas kinematics. Our analysis reveals gas in ordinary rotation in all the emission lines detected and also outflowing gas in the case of the low and high ionization emission lines. In the case of the nuclear spectrum, which corresponds to a circular aperture of 0.3″ (686 pc) in diameter, the warm molecular lines can be characterized using a single Gaussian component of full width at half maximum (FWHM) = 350 − 400 km s−1, while Paα, Brδ, and [Si VI] are best fitted with two blue-shifted Gaussian components of FWHM ∼ 800 and 1700 km s−1, in addition to a narrow component of ∼300 km s−1. We interpret the blue-shifted broad components as outflowing gas, which reaches the highest velocities, of up to −840 km s−1, in the south-east direction (PA ∼ 125°), extending up to a distance of ∼3.4 kpc from the nucleus. The ionized outflow has a maximum mass outflow rate of Ṁout,max = 42–51 M⊙ yr−1, and its kinetic power represents 0.1% of the quasar bolometric luminosity. Very Large Array (VLA) data of J0945 show extended radio emission (PA ∼ 100°) that is aligned with the clumpy emission traced by the narrow component of the ionized lines up to scales of several kiloparsecs, and with the innermost part of the outflow (central ∼0.4″ = 915 pc). Beyond that radius, at the edge of the radio jet, the high velocity gas shows a different PA of ∼125°. This might be an indication that the line-emitting gas is being compressed and accelerated by the shocks generated by the radio jet
Another look at the BL Lacertae flux and spectral variability
The GLAST-AGILE Support Program (GASP) of the Whole Earth Blazar Telescope
(WEBT) monitored BL Lacertae in 2008-2009 at radio, near-IR, and optical
frequencies. During this period, high-energy observations were performed by
XMM-Newton, Swift, and Fermi. We analyse these data with particular attention
to the calibration of Swift UV data, and apply a helical jet model to interpret
the source broad-band variability. The GASP-WEBT observations show an optical
flare in 2008 February-March, and oscillations of several tenths of mag on a
few-day time scale afterwards. The radio flux is only mildly variable. The UV
data from both XMM-Newton and Swift seem to confirm a UV excess that is likely
caused by thermal emission from the accretion disc. The X-ray data from
XMM-Newton indicate a strongly concave spectrum, as well as moderate flux
variability on an hour time scale. The Swift X-ray data reveal fast (interday)
flux changes, not correlated with those observed at lower energies. We compare
the spectral energy distribution (SED) corresponding to the 2008 low-brightness
state, which was characterised by a synchrotron dominance, to the 1997 outburst
state, where the inverse-Compton emission was prevailing. A fit with an
inhomogeneous helical jet model suggests that two synchrotron components are at
work with their self inverse-Compton emission. Most likely, they represent the
radiation from two distinct emitting regions in the jet. We show that the
difference between the source SEDs in 2008 and 1997 can be explained in terms
of pure geometrical variations. The outburst state occurred when the
jet-emitting regions were better aligned with the line of sight, producing an
increase of the Doppler beaming factor. Our analysis demonstrates that the jet
geometry can play an extremely important role in the BL Lacertae flux and
spectral variability.Comment: 12 pages, 10 figures, accepted for publication in A&
Color Octet Contribution to J/psi Photoproduction Asymmetries
We investigate photoproduction asymmetries in the framework of the
NRQCD factorization approach. It is shown that the color octet contribution
leads to large uncertainties in the predicted asymmetries which rules out the
possibility to precisely measure the gluon polarization in the nucleon through
this final state. For small values of the color octet parameters being
compatible with photoproduction data it appears possible that a
measurement of asymmetries could provide a new test for the NRQCD
factorization approach, on one hand, or a measurement of the polarized gluon
distribution from low inelasticity events , on the otherComment: 12 pages, LaTeX, with 6 figs. Final version published in Phys.Rev.
The correlated optical and radio variability of BL Lacertae. WEBT data analysis 1994-2005
Since 1997, BL Lacertae has undergone a phase of high optical activity, with
the occurrence of several prominent outbursts. Starting from 1999, the Whole
Earth Blazar Telescope (WEBT) consortium has organized various multifrequency
campaigns on this blazar, collecting tens of thousands of data points. One of
the main issues in the study of this huge dataset has been the search for
correlations between the optical and radio flux variations, and for possible
periodicities in the light curves. The analysis of the data assembled during
the first four campaigns (comprising also archival data to cover the period
1968-2003) revealed a fair optical-radio correlation in 1994-2003, with a delay
of the hard radio events of ~100 days. Moreover, various statistical methods
suggested the existence of a radio periodicity of ~8 years. In 2004 the WEBT
started a new campaign to extend the dataset to the most recent observing
seasons, in order to possibly confirm and better understand the previous
results. In this campaign we have collected and assembled about 11000 new
optical observations from twenty telescopes, plus near-IR and radio data at
various frequencies. Here, we perform a correlation analysis on the long-term
R-band and radio light curves. In general, we confirm the ~100-day delay of the
hard radio events with respect to the optical ones, even if longer (~200-300
days) time lags are also found in particular periods. The radio
quasi-periodicity is confirmed too, but the "period" seems to progressively
lengthen from 7.4 to 9.3 years in the last three cycles. The optical and radio
behaviour in the last forty years suggests a scenario where geometric effects
play a major role. In particular, the alternation of enhanced and suppressed
optical activity (accompanied by hard and soft radio events, respectively) canComment: 6 pages, 4 figure
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