185 research outputs found
Charged particle densities from Au+Au collisions at sqrt{s_{NN}}=130 GeV
We present charged particle densities as a function of pseudorapidity and
collision centrality for the 197Au+197Au reaction at sqrt{s_{NN}}=130 GeV. An
integral charged particle multiplicity of 3860+/-300 is found for the 5% most
central events within the pseudorapidity range -4.7 <= eta <= 4.7. At
mid-rapidity an enhancement in the particle yields per participant nucleon pair
is observed for central events. Near to the beam rapidity, a scaling of the
particle yields consistent with the ``limiting fragmentation'' picture is
observed. Our results are compared to other recent experimental and theoretical
discussions of charged particle densities in ultra-relativistic heavy-ion
collisions.Comment: 14 pages, 4 figures; to be published in Phys. Lett.
Nuclear Modification Factor for Charged Pions and Protons at Forward Rapidity in Central Au+Au Collisions at 200 GeV
We present spectra of charged pions and protons in 0-10% central Au+Au
collisions at GeV at mid-rapidity () and forward
pseudorapidity () measured with the BRAHMS experiment at RHIC. The
spectra are compared to spectra from p+p collisions at the same energy scaled
by the number of binary collisions. The resulting nuclear modification factors
for central Au+Au collisions at both and exhibit suppression
for charged pions but not for (anti-)protons at intermediate . The
ratios have been measured up to GeV/ at the two
rapidities and the results indicate that a significant fraction of the charged
hadrons produced at intermediate range are (anti-)protons at both
mid-rapidity and
Forward and midrapidity like-particle ratios from p+p collisions at sqrt(s)=200 GeV
We present a measurement of pi-\pi+, K-/K+ and pbar/p from p+p collisions at
sqrt(s) = 20 0GeV over the rapidity range 0<y<3.4. For pT < 2.0 GeV/c we see no
significant transverse momentum dependence of the ratios. All three ratios are
independent of rapidity for y ~< 1.5 and then steadily decline from y ~ 1.5 to
y ~ 3. The pi-\pi+ ratio is below unity for y > 2.0. The pbar/p ratio is very
similar for p+p and 20% central Au+Au collisions at all rapidities. In the
fragmentation region the three ratios seem to be independent of beam energy
when viewed from the rest frame of one of the protons. Theoretical models based
on quark-diquark breaking mechanisms overestimate the pbar/p ratio up to y ~<
3. Including additional mechanisms for baryon number transport such as baryon
junctions leads to a better description of the data.Comment: 15 pages, 4 figures, uses elsart.sty. Changes to references and
discussion based on referee comments, resubmitted to Phys. Lett.
The New Physics at RHIC. From Transparency to High p Suppression
Heavy ion collisions at RHIC energies (Au+Au collisions at
GeV) exhibit significant new features as compared to
earlier experiments at lower energies. The reaction is characterized by a high
degree of transparency of the collisions partners leading to the formation of a
baryon-poor central region. In this zone, particle production occurs mainly
from the stretching of the color field. The initial energy density is well
above the one considered necessary for the formation of the Quark Gluon Plasma,
QGP. The production of charged particles of various masses is consistent with
chemical and thermal equilibrium. Recently, a suppression of the high
transverse momentum component of hadron spectra has been observed in central
Au+Au collisions. This can be explained by the energy loss experienced by
leading partons in a medium with a high density of unscreened color charges. In
contrast, such high jets are not suppressed in d+Au collisions suggesting
that the high suppression is not due to initial state effects in the
ultrarelativistic colliding nuclei.Comment: 15 pages, 11 figures. to appear in Nucl. Physics A. Invited talk at
'Nucleus-Nucleus Collisions 2003' conference, Mosco
Production of Slow Protonium in Vacuum
We describe how protonium, the quasi-stable antiproton-proton bound system,
has been synthesized following the interaction of antiprotons with the
molecular ion H in a nested Penning trap environment. From a careful
analysis of the spatial distributions of antiproton annihilation events in the
ATHENA experiment, evidence is presented for protonium production with sub-eV
kinetic energies in states around = 70, with low angular momenta. This work
provides a new 2-body system for study using laser spectroscopic techniques.Comment: 9 pages with 5 figures and 1 table. Proceedings of the 4th
International Conference on Trapped Charged Particles and Fundamental Physics
(TCP 06), published in Hyperfine Interaction
A novel method to produce kiss-bonds in composites components for NDI and characterisation purposes
Kiss-bonds (kissing bonds) are a defect type that feature a localised loss of structural continuity within the material, yet the material remains in intimate contact across the defect. Typically, shear and normal tensile stresses cannot be conducted across such defects (although, pure compressive stresses are possible). Kiss-bond defects are difficult to detect reliably – both within the bulk of the material (interlaminar) and within bond-lines of adhesively bonded joints or repairs – using conventional Non-Destructive Inspection (NDI) techniques. Compounding this issue is the lack of a reliable technique to create representative kiss-bond defects in a controlled fashion for the purpose of NDI equipment calibration or development, or scientific investigation.
A novel method for manufacturing composite material test panels with kiss-bond defects (for research or NDI calibration, for example) in a controlled and repeatable fashion has been developed. Small areas of two adjacent pre-preg plies were pre-cured before being incorporated within a laminate. During consolidation, no bonding occurs between the pre-cured areas, thus creating a kiss-bond defect of known geometry. Test panels with 6 × 6 mm and 10 × 10 mm kiss-bond defects were manufactured. The robustness of the technique was verified using ultrasonic and laser shearography NDI methods; 7 of the 10 manufactured defects were classified as kiss-bonds, with the remaining 3 identified as dis-bonds
Nuclear stopping and rapidity loss in Au+Au collisions at sqrt{s_{NN}}=62.4 GeV
Transverse momentum spectra of protons and anti-protons measured in the
rapidity range 0<y<3.1 from 0-10% central Au+Au collisions at sqrt{s_{NN}}=62.4
GeV are presented. The rapidity densities, dN/dy, of protons, anti-protons and
net-protons N()p-N(pbar) have been deduced from the spectra over a rapidity
range wide enough to observe the expected maximum net-baryon density. From
mid-rapidity to y=1 the net-proton yield is roughly constant (dN/dy ~ 10),but
rises to dN/dy ~25 at 2.3<y<3.1. The mean rapidity loss is 2.01 +-0.16 units
from beam rapidity. The measured rapidity distributions are compared to model
predictions. Systematics of net-baryon distributions and rapidity loss vs.
collision energy are discussed.Comment: 5 pages, 5 figures. Submitted Phys.Lett.
Identification and Functional Characterization of G6PC2 Coding Variants Influencing Glycemic Traits Define an Effector Transcript at the G6PC2-ABCB11 Locus
Genome wide association studies (GWAS) for fasting glucose (FG) and insulin (FI) have identified common variant signals which explain 4.8% and 1.2% of trait variance, respectively. It is hypothesized that low-frequency and rare variants could contribute substantially to unexplained genetic variance. To test this, we analyzed exome-array data from up to 33,231 non-diabetic individuals of European ancestry. We found exome-wide significant (P<5×10-7) evidence for two loci not previously highlighted by common variant GWAS: GLP1R (p.Ala316Thr, minor allele frequency (MAF)=1.5%) influencing FG levels, and URB2 (p.Glu594Val, MAF = 0.1%) influencing FI levels. Coding variant associations can highlight potential effector genes at (non-coding) GWAS signals. At the G6PC2/ABCB11 locus, we identified multiple coding variants in G6PC2 (p.Val219Leu, p.His177Tyr, and p.Tyr207Ser) influencing FG levels, conditionally independent of each other and the non-coding GWAS signal. In vitro assays demonstrate that these associated coding alleles result in reduced protein abundance via proteasomal degradation, establishing G6PC2 as an effector gene at this locus. Reconciliation of single-variant associations and functional effects was only possible when haplotype phase was considered. In contrast to earlier reports suggesting that, paradoxically, glucose-raising alleles at this locus are protective against type 2 diabetes (T2D), the p.Val219Leu G6PC2 variant displayed a modest but directionally consistent association with T2D risk. Coding variant associations for glycemic traits in GWAS signals highlight PCSK1, RREB1, and ZHX3 as likely effector transcripts. These coding variant association signals do not have a major impact on the trait variance explained, but they do provide valuable biological insights
Kaon and Pion Production in Central Au+Au Collisions at \sqrt{s_{NN}}=62.4 GeV
Invariant pT spectra and rapidity densities covering a large rapidity
range(-0.1 < y < 3.5) are presented for and mesons from
central Au+Au collisions at = 62.4 GeV. The mid-rapidity yields
of meson particles relative to their anti-particles are found to be close to
unity (, ) while the anti-proton to
proton ratio is . The rapidity dependence of the
ratio is consistent with a small increase towards forward
rapidities while the and ratios show a steep decrease to
0.3 for kaons and 0.022 for protons at . It is observed that
the kaon production relative to its own anti-particle as well as to pion
production in wide rapidity and energy ranges shows an apparent universal
behavior consistent with the baryo-chemical potential, as deduced from the
ratio, being the driving parameter.Comment: Submitted to PLB, 6 journal pages, 7 figure
Genome-wide meta-analysis uncovers novel loci influencing circulating leptin levels.
Leptin is an adipocyte-secreted hormone, the circulating levels of which correlate closely with overall adiposity. Although rare mutations in the leptin (LEP) gene are well known to cause leptin deficiency and severe obesity, no common loci regulating circulating leptin levels have been uncovered. Therefore, we performed a genome-wide association study (GWAS) of circulating leptin levels from 32,161 individuals and followed up loci reaching P<10(-6) in 19,979 additional individuals. We identify five loci robustly associated (P<5 × 10(-8)) with leptin levels in/near LEP, SLC32A1, GCKR, CCNL1 and FTO. Although the association of the FTO obesity locus with leptin levels is abolished by adjustment for BMI, associations of the four other loci are independent of adiposity. The GCKR locus was found associated with multiple metabolic traits in previous GWAS and the CCNL1 locus with birth weight. Knockdown experiments in mouse adipose tissue explants show convincing evidence for adipogenin, a regulator of adipocyte differentiation, as the novel causal gene in the SLC32A1 locus influencing leptin levels. Our findings provide novel insights into the regulation of leptin production by adipose tissue and open new avenues for examining the influence of variation in leptin levels on adiposity and metabolic health
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