6,886 research outputs found
Assessing the sociology of sport: On sports mega-events and capitalist modernity
On the 50th anniversary of the ISSA and IRSS, one of the leading international scholars on sport and consumer culture, John Horne, considers the trajectory and challenges of research on sports mega-events and their place in capitalist modernity. In anchoring work on this topic in Roche’s definition of mega-events, Horne notes that sports mega-events are important symbolic, economic, and political elements in the orientation of nations to stake their place in global society. Fundamental issues about the concept of ‘mega-event’ pose challenges for scholars as questions remain over what qualifies as a sports mega-event and how ‘lived experience’ with such events transacts with media spectacularization and characterization. The essay closes by posing broader questions for further investigation about the economic, political, and social risks and benefits of sports mega-events and how these events may portend and relate to changing relations of economic and political power on a global scale
Interference and complementarity for two-photon hybrid entangled states
In this work we generate two-photon hybrid entangled states (HES), where the
polarization of one photon is entangled with the transverse spatial degree of
freedom of the second photon. The photon pair is created by parametric
down-conversion in a polarization-entangled state. A birefringent double-slit
couples the polarization and spatial degrees of freedom of these photons and
finally, suitable spatial and polarization projections generate the HES. We
investigate some interesting aspects of the two-photon hybrid interference, and
present this study in the context of the complementarity relation that exists
between the visibilities of the one- and two-photon interference patterns.Comment: 10 pages, 4 figures. Accepted in Physical Review
Remote sensing of water quality in reservoirs and lakes in semi-arid climates
Overlake measurements using aerial cameras (remote sensing) combined with water truth collected from boats most economically provided wide-band photographs rather than precise spectra. With use of false color infrared film (400-950 nm), the reflected spectral signatures seen from hundreds to thousands of meters above the lake merged to produce various color tones. Such colors were easily and inexpensively obtained and could be recognized by lake management personnel without any prior training. The characteristic spectral signatures of various algal types were also recognizable in part by the color tone produced by remote sensing
On the logical structure of Bell theorems without inequalities
Bell theorems show how to experimentally falsify local realism. Conclusive
falsification is highly desirable as it would provide support for the most
profoundly counterintuitive feature of quantum theory - nonlocality. Despite
the preponderance of evidence for quantum mechanics, practical limits on
detector efficiency and the difficulty of coordinating space-like separated
measurements have provided loopholes for a classical worldview; these loopholes
have never been simultaneously closed. A number of new experiments have
recently been proposed to close both loopholes at once. We show some of these
novel designs fail in the most basic way, by not ruling out local hidden
variable models, and we provide an explicit classical model to demonstrate
this. They share a common flaw, which reveals a basic misunderstanding of how
nonlocality proofs work. Given the time and resources now being devoted to such
experiments, theoretical clarity is essential. Our explanation is presented in
terms of simple logic and should serve to correct misconceptions and avoid
future mistakes. We also show a nonlocality proof involving four participants
which has interesting theoretical properties.Comment: 8 pages, text clarified, explicit LHV model provided for flawed
nonlocality tes
Higher-order quantum entanglement
In quantum mechanics, the general state describing two or more particles is a linear superposition of product states. Such a superposition is called entangled if it cannot be factored into just one product. When only two particles are entangled, the stage is set for Einstein-Podolsky-Rosen (EPR) discussions and Bell's proof that the EPR viewpoint contradicts quantum mechanics. If more than two particles are involved, new possibilities and phenomena arise. For example, the Greenberger, Horne, and Zeilinger (GHZ) disproof of EPR applies. Furthermore, as we point out, with three or more particles even entanglement itself can be an entangled property
Radioisotope thermal photovoltaic application of the GaSb solar cell
An examination of a RTVP (radioisotopic thermophotovoltaic) conceptual design has shown a high potential for power densities well above those achievable with radioisotopic thermoelectric generator (RTG) systems. An efficiency of 14.4 percent and system specific power of 9.25 watts/kg were predicted for a system with sixteen GPHS (general purpose heat source) sources operating at 1100 C. The models also showed a 500 watt system power by the strontium-90 isotope at 1200 C at an efficiency of 17.0 percent and a system specific power of 11.8 watts/kg. The key to this level of performance is a high-quality photovoltaic cell with narrow bandgap and a reflective rear contact. Recent work at Boeing on GaSb cells and transparent back GaAs cells indicate that such a cell is well within reach
Sports mega-events – three sites of contemporary political contestation
This article discusses the contemporary politics of sports mega-events, involving the Olympic Games and Fédération Internationale de Football Association (FIFA) Men’s Football World Cup Finals as well as other lower ‘order’ sports megas, taking two main forms: the promotional and the protest. There is a politics in, and a politics of, sports mega-events. The former focuses on the internal politics of the organizing bodies, such as the International Olympic Committee and FIFA. This form of politics has been written about elsewhere, and hence, there is no detailed discussion in this article about it. Instead this article offers a brief discussion of the range and number of sports mega-events since 2000, an assessment of the contemporary politics of sports mega-events, a focus on three main sites of political contestation – rights, legacy and labour, and finally, it offers conclusions about research into the politics of sports mega-events
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Attenuation of hedgehog/GLI signaling by NT1721 extends survival in pancreatic cancer.
BackgroundPancreatic cancer is one of the most lethal malignancies due to frequent late diagnosis, aggressive tumor growth and metastasis formation. Continuously raising incidence rates of pancreatic cancer and a lack of significant improvement in survival rates over the past 30 years highlight the need for new therapeutic agents. Thus, new therapeutic agents and strategies are urgently needed to improve the outcome for patients with pancreatic cancer. Here, we evaluated the anti-tumor activity of a new natural product-based epidithiodiketopiperazine, NT1721, against pancreatic cancer.MethodsWe characterized the anticancer efficacy of NT1721 in multiple pancreatic cancer cell lines in vitro and in two orthotopic models. We also compared the effects of NT1721 to clinically used hedgehog inhibitors and the standard-of-care drug, gemcitabine. The effect of NT1721 on hedgehog/GLI signaling was assessed by determining the expression of GLI and GLI target genes both in vitro and in vivo.ResultsNT1721 displayed IC50 values in the submicromolar range in multiple pancreatic cancer cell lines, while largely sparing normal pancreatic epithelial cells. NT1721 attenuated hedgehog/GLI signaling through downregulation of GLI1/2 transcription factors and their downstream target genes, which reduced cell proliferation and invasion in vitro and significantly decreased tumor growth and liver metastasis in two preclinical orthotopic mouse models of pancreatic cancer. Importantly, treatment with NT1721 significantly improved survival times of mice with pancreatic cancer compared to the standard-of-care drug, gemcitabine.ConclusionsFavorable therapeutics properties, i.e. 10-fold lower IC50 values than clinically used hedgehog inhibitors (vismodegib, erismodegib), a 90% reduction in liver metastasis and significantly better survival times compared to the standard-of-care drug, gemcitabine, provide a rational for testing NT1721 in the clinic either as a single agent or possibly in combination with gemcitabine or other therapeutic agents in PDAC patients overexpressing GLI1/2. This could potentially result in promising new treatment options for patients suffering from this devastating disease
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