Nuclear gluons at RHIC in a multiobservable approach

We explore the possibility of measuring nuclear gluon distributions at the Relativistic Heavy-Ion Collider (RHIC) with root s = 200 GeV proton-nucleus collisions. In addition to measurements at central rapidity, we consider also observables at forward rapidity, consistent with proposed upgrades to the experimental capabilities of STAR and sPHENIX. The processes we consider consist of Drell-Yan dilepton, dijet, and direct photon jet production. The Drell-Yan process is found to be an efficient probe of gluons at small momentum fractions. In order to fully utilize the potential of Drell-Yan measurements we demonstrate how the overall normalization uncertainty present in the experimental data can be fixed using other experimental observables. An asset of the RHIC collider is its flexibility to run with different ion beams, and we outline how this ability could be taken advantage of to measure the A dependence of gluon distributions for which the current constraints are scarce.Peer reviewe

An inverse model to determine the heat transfer coefficient and its evolution with time during solidification of light alloys

Infra-red probes linked to pyrometric chains and thermocouple arrays have been used to accurately determine both casting and die surface temperatures during the solidification of an aluminium A380 alloy and the magnesium alloy AZ91D. An inverse model was then used to accurately determine the heat flux densities and interfacial heat transfer coefficients and the rapid evolution of these values with time during high pressure die casting of these alloys

Matched Comparison of Magnetically-Controlled Growing Rods with Traditional Growing Rods for Severe Early Onset Scoliosis >90 degrees. An interim report at 2-year follow-up

Peer reviewe

Complex spine deformities in young patients with severe osteogenesis imperfecta: current concepts review

The severity of osteogenesis imperfecta (OI), the associated reduced quality and quantity of collagen type I, the degree of bone fragility, ligamentous laxity, vertebral fractures and multilevel vertebral deformities all impair the mechanical integrity of the whole spinal architecture and relate to the high prevalence of progressive kyphoscoliotic deformities during growth. Bisphosphonate therapy may at best slow down curve progression but does not seem to lower the prevalence of deformities or the incidence of surgery. Brace treatment is problematic due to pre-existing chest wall deformities, stiffness of the curve and the brittleness of the ribs which limit transfer of corrective forces from the brace shell to the spine. Progressive curves entail loss of balance, chest deformities, pain and compromise of pulmonary function and eventually require surgical stabilization, usually around puberty. Severe vertebral deformities including deformed, small pedicles, highly brittle bones and chest deformities, short deformed trunks and associated issues like C-spine and cranial base abnormalities (basilar impressions, cervical kyphosis) as well as deformed lower and upper extremities are posing multiple peri-and intraoperative challenges. Hence, an early multidisciplinary approach (anaesthetist, pulmonologist, paediatric orthopaedic spine surgeon) is mandatory.This paper was written under the guidance of the Spine Study Group of the European Paediatric Orthopaedic Society. It highlights the most pertinent information given in the current literature and various practical aspects on surgical care of spine deformities in young OI patients based on the personal experience of the contributing authors

Variants in the fetal genome near pro-inflammatory cytokine genes on 2q13 associate with gestational duration

The duration of pregnancy is influenced by fetal and maternal genetic and non-genetic factors. Here we report a fetal genome-wide association meta-analysis of gestational duration, and early preterm, preterm, and postterm birth in 84,689 infants. One locus on chromosome 2q13 is associated with gestational duration; the association is replicated in 9,291 additional infants (combined P = 3.96 × 10−14). Analysis of 15,588 mother-child pairs shows that the association is driven by fetal rather than maternal genotype. Functional experiments show that the lead SNP, rs7594852, alters the binding of the HIC1 transcriptional repressor. Genes at the locus include several interleukin 1 family members with roles in proinflammatory pathways that are central to the process of parturition. Further understanding of the underlying mechanisms will be of great public health importance, since giving birth either before or after the window of term gestation is associated with increased morbidity and mortalit

Impact-parameter dependent nuclear parton distribution functions: EPS09s and EKS98s and their applications in nuclear hard processes

We determine the spatial (impact parameter) dependence of nuclear parton distribution functions (nPDFs) using the $A$-dependence of the spatially independent (averaged) global fits EPS09 and EKS98. We work under the assumption that the spatial dependence can be formulated as a power series of the nuclear thickness functions $T_A$. To reproduce the $A$-dependence over the entire $x$ range we need terms up to $[T_A]^4$. As an outcome, we release two sets, EPS09s (LO, NLO, error sets) and EKS98s, of spatially dependent nPDFs for public use. We also discuss the implementation of these into the existing calculations. With our results, the centrality dependence of nuclear hard-process observables can be studied consistently with the globally fitted nPDFs for the first time. As an application, we first calculate the LO nuclear modification factor $R^{1jet}_{AA}$ for primary partonic-jet production in different centrality classes in Au+Au collisions at RHIC and Pb+Pb collisions at LHC. Also the corresponding central-to-peripheral ratios $R_{CP}^{1jet}$ are studied. We also calculate the LO and NLO nuclear modification factors for single inclusive neutral pion production, $R_{dAu}^{\pi^0}$, at mid- and forward rapidities in different centrality classes in d+Au collisions at RHIC. In particular, we show that our results are compatible with the PHENIX mid-rapidity data within the overall normalization uncertainties given by the experiment. Finally, we show our predictions for the corresponding modifications $R_{pPb}^{\pi^0}$ in the forthcoming p+Pb collisions at LHC.Comment: 36 page

Centralized Modularity of N-Linked Glycosylation Pathways in Mammalian Cells

Glycosylation is a highly complex process to produce a diverse repertoire of cellular glycans that are attached to proteins and lipids. Glycans are involved in fundamental biological processes, including protein folding and clearance, cell proliferation and apoptosis, development, immune responses, and pathogenesis. One of the major types of glycans, N-linked glycans, is formed by sequential attachments of monosaccharides to proteins by a limited number of enzymes. Many of these enzymes can accept multiple N-linked glycans as substrates, thereby generating a large number of glycan intermediates and their intermingled pathways. Motivated by the quantitative methods developed in complex network research, we investigated the large-scale organization of such N-linked glycosylation pathways in mammalian cells. The N-linked glycosylation pathways are extremely modular, and are composed of cohesive topological modules that directly branch from a common upstream pathway of glycan synthesis. This unique structural property allows the glycan production between modules to be controlled by the upstream region. Although the enzymes act on multiple glycan substrates, indicating cross-talk between modules, the impact of the cross-talk on the module-specific enhancement of glycan synthesis may be confined within a moderate range by transcription-level control. The findings of the present study provide experimentally-testable predictions for glycosylation processes, and may be applicable to therapeutic glycoprotein engineering