477 research outputs found
Instantaneous Bethe-Salpeter equation: utmost analytic approach
The Bethe-Salpeter formalism in the instantaneous approximation for the
interaction kernel entering into the Bethe-Salpeter equation represents a
reasonable framework for the description of bound states within relativistic
quantum field theory. In contrast to its further simplifications (like, for
instance, the so-called reduced Salpeter equation), it allows also the
consideration of bound states composed of "light" constituents. Every
eigenvalue equation with solutions in some linear space may be (approximately)
solved by conversion into an equivalent matrix eigenvalue problem. We
demonstrate that the matrices arising in these representations of the
instantaneous Bethe-Salpeter equation may be found, at least for a wide class
of interactions, in an entirely algebraic manner. The advantages of having the
involved matrices explicitly, i.e., not "contaminated" by errors induced by
numerical computations, at one's disposal are obvious: problems like, for
instance, questions of the stability of eigenvalues may be analyzed more
rigorously; furthermore, for small matrix sizes the eigenvalues may even be
calculated analytically.Comment: LaTeX, 23 pages, 2 figures, version to appear in Phys. Rev.
The mechanisms of spatial and temporal earthquake clustering
The number of earthquakes as a function of magnitude decays as a power law.
This trend is usually justified using spring-block models, where slips with the
appropriate global statistics have been numerically observed. However,
prominent spatial and temporal clustering features of earthquakes are not
reproduced by this kind of modeling. We show that when a spring-block model is
complemented with a mechanism allowing for structural relaxation, realistic
earthquake patterns are obtained. The proposed model does not need to include a
phenomenological velocity weakening friction law, as traditional spring-block
models do, since this behavior is effectively induced by the relaxational
mechanism as well. In this way, the model provides also a simple microscopic
basis for the widely used phenomenological rate-and-state equations of rock
friction.Comment: 7 pages, 10 figures, comments welcom
On the broken gauge, conformal and discrete symmetries in particle physics
Relationships between gauge, conformal and discrete symmetries in particle
physics are analysed. We study also the effect of the electroweak mixing on the
cancellation of SU(2) anomalous actions. It is shown that the relation
theta_{W} = 2(theta_{12}+theta_{23}+theta_{13}) between the Weinberg angle and
the Cabibbo-Kobayashi-Maskawa angles should be satisfied and this effect is
completely defined by the mixing of Dirac fermions. We compare two mechanisms
of the spontaneous breaking of gauge symmetry, discuss the renormalizability of
theories, and argue for the existence of the Majorana fermions necessary to
remove the SU(2) anomalous action. The fate of the majoron and the
spontaneously broken lepton number is discussed. We also show the compatibility
of the boson and fermion mixings with Dyson-Schwinger equations.Comment: 27 pages, LaTeX style; v2: published version, two figures adde
Application of Jain and Munczek's bound-state approach to gamma gamma-processes of pi0, eta_c and eta_b
We point out the problems affecting most quark--antiquark bound state
approaches when they are faced with the electromagnetic processes dominated by
Abelian axial anomaly. However, these problems are resolved in the consistently
coupled Schwinger-Dyson and Bethe-Salpeter approach. Using one of the most
successful variants of this approach, we find the dynamically dressed
propagators of the light u and d quarks, as well as the heavy c and b quarks,
and find the Bethe-Salpeter amplitudes for their bound states pi0, eta_c and
\eta_b. Thanks to incorporating the dynamical chiral symmetry breaking, the
pion simultaneously appears as the (pseudo)Goldstone boson. We give the
theoretical predictions for the gamma-gamma decay widths of pi0, eta_c and
eta_b, and for the pi0 gamma* -> gamma transition form factor, and compare them
with experiment. In the chiral limit, the axial-anomaly result for
pi0->gamma-gamma is reproduced analytically in the consistently coupled
Schwinger-Dyson and Bethe-Salpeter approach, provided that the quark-photon
vertex is dressed consistently with the quark propagator, so that the vector
Ward-Takahashi identity of QED is obeyed. On the other hand, the present
approach is also capable of quantitatively describing systems of heavy quarks,
concretely eta_c and possibly eta_b, and their gamma-gamma decays. We discuss
the reasons for the broad phenomenological success of the bound-state approach
of Jain and Munczek.Comment: RevTeX, 37 pages, 7 eps figures, submitted to Int. J. Mod. Phys.
Results on MeV-scale dark matter from a gram-scale cryogenic calorimeter operated above ground
Models for light dark matter particles with masses below 1 GeV/c are a
natural and well-motivated alternative to so-far unobserved weakly interacting
massive particles. Gram-scale cryogenic calorimeters provide the required
detector performance to detect these particles and extend the direct dark
matter search program of CRESST. A prototype 0.5 g sapphire detector developed
for the -cleus experiment has achieved an energy threshold of
eV, which is one order of magnitude lower than previous
results and independent of the type of particle interaction. The result
presented here is obtained in a setup above ground without significant
shielding against ambient and cosmogenic radiation. Although operated in a
high-background environment, the detector probes a new range of light-mass dark
matter particles previously not accessible by direct searches. We report the
first limit on the spin-independent dark matter particle-nucleon cross section
for masses between 140 MeV/c and 500 MeV/c.Comment: 6 pages, 6 figures, v3: ancillary files added, v4: high energy
spectrum (0.6-12keV) added to ancillary file
Risk of subsequent ischemic and hemorrhagic stroke in patients hospitalized for immune-mediated diseases: a nationwide follow-up study from Sweden
Background: Certain immune-mediated diseases (IMDs) have been associated with increased risk for cardiovascular disorders. The aim of the present study was to examine whether there is an association between 32 different IMDs and first hospitalization for ischemic or hemorrhagic stroke. Methods: All individuals in Sweden hospitalized with a main diagnosis of IMD (without previous or coexisting stroke), between January 1, 1987 and December 31, 2008 (n = 216,291), were followed for first hospitalization for ischemic or hemorrhagic stroke. The reference population was the total population of Sweden. Adjusted standardized incidence ratios (SIRs) for ischemic and hemorrhagic stroke were calculated. Results: Totally 20 and 15 of the 32 IMDs studied, respectively, were associated with an increased risk of ischemic and hemorrhagic stroke during the follow-up. The overall risks of ischemic and hemorrhagic stroke during the first year after hospitalization for IMD were 2.02 (95 % CI 1.90-2.14) and 2.65 (95 % CI 2.27-3.08), respectively. The overall risk of ischemic or hemorrhagic stroke decreased over time, to 1.50 (95 % CI 1.46-1.55) and 1.83 (95 % CI 1.69-1.98), respectively, after 1-5 years, and 1.29 (95 % CI 1.23-1.35) and 1.47 (95 % CI 1.31-1.65), respectively, after 10+ years. The risk of hemorrhagic stroke was >= 2 during the first year after hospitalization for seven IMDs: ankylosing spondylitis (SIR = 8.11), immune thrombocytopenic purpura (SIR = 8.60), polymyalgia rheumatica (SIR = 2.06), psoriasis (SIR = 2.88), rheumatoid arthritis (SIR = 3.27), systemic lupus erythematosus (SIR = 8.65), and Wegener ' s granulomatosis (SIR = 5.83). The risk of ischemic stroke was >= 2 during the first year after hospitalization for twelve IMDs: Addison's disease (SIR = 2.71), Crohn's disease (SIR = 2.15), Grave's disease (SIR = 2.15), Hashimoto's thyroiditis (SIR = 2.99), immune thrombocytopenic purpura (SIR = 2.35), multiple sclerosis (SIR = 3.05), polymyositis/dermatomyositis (SIR = 3.46), rheumatic fever (SIR = 3.91), rheumatoid arthritis (SIR = 2.08), Sjgren's syndrome (SIR = 2.57), systemic lupus erythematosus (SIR = 2.21), and ulcerative colitis (SIR = 2.15). Conclusions: Hospitalization for many IMDs is associated with increased risk of ischemic or hemorrhagic stroke. The findings suggest that several IMDs are linked to cerebrovascular disease
Addition of vardenafil into storage solution protects the endothelium in a hypoxia-reoxygenation model
OBJECTIVE: Based upon the well known protective effect of intracellular cyclic guanosine monophosphate (cGMP) accumulation, we tested the hypothesis that storage solution enriched with optimal concentration of the phosphodiestherase-5 inhibitor vardenafil could provide better protection of vascular grafts against reperfusion injury after long-term cold ischaemic storage. METHODS: Isolated thoracic aorta obtained from rats underwent 24-h cold ischaemic preservation in physiological saline or vardenafil (10(-11) M)-supplemented saline solution. Reperfusion injury was simulated by hypochlorite (200 muM) exposure for 30 minutes. Endothelium-dependent vasorelaxation was assessed, and histopathological and molecular-biological examination of the aortic tissue were performed. RESULTS: Compared with the control group, the saline group showed significantly attenuated endothelium-dependent maximal relaxation (Rmax) to acetylcholine after hypoxia-reoxygenation, which was significantly improved by vardenafil supplementation (Rmax control: 98 +/- 1%; saline: 48 +/- 6%; vardenafil: 75 +/- 4%; p < .05). Vardenafil treatment significantly reduced DNA strand breaks (control: 10.6 +/- 6.2%; saline: 72.5 +/- 4.0%; vardenafil: 14.2 +/- 5.2%; p < .05) and increased cGMP score in the aortic wall (control: 8.2 +/- 0.6; saline: 4.5 +/- 0.3; vardenafil: 6.7 +/- 0.6; p < .05). CONCLUSIONS: Our results support the view that impairment of intracellular cGMP signalling plays a role in the pathogenesis of the endothelial dysfunction induced by cold storage warm reperfusion, which can be effectively reversed by pharmacological phosphodiesterase-5 inhibition
Dragon-kings: mechanisms, statistical methods and empirical evidence
This introductory article presents the special Discussion and Debate volume
"From black swans to dragon-kings, is there life beyond power laws?" published
in Eur. Phys. J. Special Topics in May 2012. We summarize and put in
perspective the contributions into three main themes: (i) mechanisms for
dragon-kings, (ii) detection of dragon-kings and statistical tests and (iii)
empirical evidence in a large variety of natural and social systems. Overall,
we are pleased to witness significant advances both in the introduction and
clarification of underlying mechanisms and in the development of novel
efficient tests that demonstrate clear evidence for the presence of
dragon-kings in many systems. However, this positive view should be balanced by
the fact that this remains a very delicate and difficult field, if only due to
the scarcity of data as well as the extraordinary important implications with
respect to hazard assessment, risk control and predictability.Comment: 20 page
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