QCD and strongly coupled gauge theories : challenges and perspectives

We highlight the progress, current status, and open challenges of QCD-driven physics, in theory and in experiment. We discuss how the strong interaction is intimately connected to a broad sweep of physical problems, in settings ranging from astrophysics and cosmology to strongly coupled, complex systems in particle and condensed-matter physics, as well as to searches for physics beyond the Standard Model. We also discuss how success in describing the strong interaction impacts other fields, and, in turn, how such subjects can impact studies of the strong interaction. In the course of the work we offer a perspective on the many research streams which flow into and out of QCD, as well as a vision for future developments.Peer reviewe

Alignment of the ALICE Inner Tracking System with cosmic-ray tracks

37 pages, 15 figures, revised version, accepted by JINSTALICE (A Large Ion Collider Experiment) is the LHC (Large Hadron Collider) experiment devoted to investigating the strongly interacting matter created in nucleus-nucleus collisions at the LHC energies. The ALICE ITS, Inner Tracking System, consists of six cylindrical layers of silicon detectors with three different technologies; in the outward direction: two layers of pixel detectors, two layers each of drift, and strip detectors. The number of parameters to be determined in the spatial alignment of the 2198 sensor modules of the ITS is about 13,000. The target alignment precision is well below 10 micron in some cases (pixels). The sources of alignment information include survey measurements, and the reconstructed tracks from cosmic rays and from proton-proton collisions. The main track-based alignment method uses the Millepede global approach. An iterative local method was developed and used as well. We present the results obtained for the ITS alignment using about 10^5 charged tracks from cosmic rays that have been collected during summer 2008, with the ALICE solenoidal magnet switched off.Peer reviewe

The role of nephrectomy of the atrophic kidney in bearers of renovascular hypertension

PURPOSE: Evaluation of the beneficial effect of nephrectomy of the atrophic kidney on blood pressure (BP) and renal function. MATERIALS AND METHODS: A retrospective study of 51 patients with renovascular hypertension (RVH), bearers of atrophic kidney due to severe stenosis or occlusion of the renal artery. Average age was 47.1 ± 15 years, the median creatinine clearance was 54 mL/min, average systolic BP (SBP) 149.6 ± 22.5 mm Hg, average diastolic BP (DBP) 90.8 ± 17 mm Hg and the median number of hypotensors 3 (1 to 5) per patient per day. Blood pressure and serum creatinine were analyzed from 12 to 60 months after the nephrectomy. RESULTS: There was a significant improvement in the average SBP in the periods from 12 to 36 months (p &#8804; 0.028) and for the average DBP from 12 to 48 months after the nephrectomy (p &#8804; 0.045), accompanied by a significant reduction in the use of hypotensors from 12 to 48 months (p < 0.05). One year after the nephrectomy, there was a 69% improvement in blood pressure and 63.8% improvement in renal function of patients. CONCLUSION: The removal of atrophic kidney in patients with RVH is a safe procedure which presents benefits for the control of arterial hypertension and renal function in bearers of renovascular hypertension

Fertility and Pregnancy Counseling of Breast Cancer Patients with Germline BRCA Mutations.

Irrespective of their family history, approximately 12% of breast cancer cases diagnosed in women under the age of 40 are hereditary tumors secondary to the presence of germline deleterious mutations in the breast cancer susceptibility genes BRCA1 or BRCA2. The indication to undergo risk-reducing salpingo-oophorectomy at a young age for women carrying a mutation in the BRCA genes has a direct negative impact on patients’ fertility and family planning. In addition, preclinical and limited clinical evidence suggests a possible negative effect of a BRCA mutation on female ovarian reserve and fertility. Based on both the unique features and needs of these patients as well as the limited evidence on the performance of fertility preservation strategies and on the safety of having a pregnancy following the end of anticancer treatments, oncofertility counseling is particularly complex in young women with newly diagnosed BRCA-mutated breast cancer. This chapter aims to review the available evidence on the impact of carrying a germline deleterious BRCA mutation on the reproductive potential of these women as well as to discuss how to optimally manage the oncofertility counseling of young BRCA-mutated breast cancer patients facing fertility and pregnancy-related issues.info:eu-repo/semantics/publishe

Computational models for musical sounds sources

As a result of the progress in information technologies, algorithms for sound generation and transformation are now ubiquitous in multimedia systems, even though their performance and quality is rarely satisfactory. For the specific needs of music production and multimedia art, sound models are needed which are versatile, responsive to user's expectations, and having high audio quality. Moreover, for human-machine interaction model flexibility is a major issue. We will review some of the most important computational models that axe being used in musical sound production, and we will see that models based on the physics of actual or virtual objects can meet most of the requirements, thus allowing the user to rely on high-level descriptions of the sounding entities