Next-to-leading BFKL phenomenology of forward-jet cross sections at HERA

We show that the forward-jet measurements performed at HERA allow for a detailed study of corrections due to next-to-leading logarithms (NLL) in the Balitsky-Fadin-Kuraev-Lipatov (BFKL) approach. While the description of the d\sigma/dx data shows small sensitivity to NLL-BFKL corrections, these can be tested by the triple differential cross section d\sigma/dxdk_T^2dQ^2 recently measured. These data can be successfully described using a renormalization-group improved NLL kernel while the standard next-to-leading-order QCD or leading-logarithm BFKL approaches fail to describe the same data in the whole kinematic range. We present a detailed analysis of the NLL scheme and renormalization-scale dependences and also discuss the photon impact factors.Comment: 15 pages, 9 figures, new title, NLL-BFKL saddle-point approximation replaced by exact integratio

The impact of sleeping with reduced glycogen stores on immunity and sleep in triathletes.

PURPOSE: We investigated the effects of a 3-week dietary periodization on immunity and sleep in triathletes. METHODS: 21 triathletes were divided into two groups with different nutritional guidelines during a 3-week endurance training program including nine twice a day sessions with lowered (SL group) or maintained (CON group) glycogen availability during the overnight recovery period. In addition to performance tests, sleep was monitored every night. Systemic and mucosal immune parameters as well as the incidence of URTI were monitored every week of the training/nutrition protocol. Two-ways ANOVA and effect sizes were used to examine differences in dependent variables between groups at each time point. RESULTS: The SL group significantly improved 10 km running performance (-1 min 13 s, P < 0.01, d = 0.38), whereas no improvement was recorded in the CON group (-2 s, NS). No significant changes in white blood cells counts, plasma cortisol and IL-6 were recorded over the protocol in both groups. The vitamin D status decreased in similar proportions between groups, whereas salivary IgA decreased in the SL group only (P < 0.05, d = 0.23). The incidence of URTI was not altered in both groups. All participants in both groups went to bed earlier during the training program (SL -20 min, CON -27 min, P < 0.05, d = 0.28). In the SL group, only sleep efficiency slightly decreased by 1.1 % (P < 0.05, d = 0.25) and the fragmentation index tended to increase at the end of the protocol (P = 0.06). CONCLUSION: Sleeping and training the next morning regularly with reduced glycogen availability has minimal effects on selected markers of immunity, the incidence of URTI and sleeping patterns in trained athletes

Enhanced Endurance Performance by Periodization of CHO Intake: "sleep low" strategy

Purpose: We investigated the effect of a chronic dietary periodization strategy on endurance performance in trained athletes. Methods: 21 triathletes (V[Combining Dot Above]O2max: 58.7 +/- 5.7 mL[middle dot]min-1[middle dot]kg-1) were divided into 2 groups: a "sleep-low" (SL, n = 11) and a control group (CON, n = 10) consumed the same daily carbohydrate (CHO) intake (6 g[middle dot]kg-1[middle dot]d-1) but with different timing over the day to manipulate CHO availability before and after training sessions. The "sleep low" strategy consisted of a 3-week training/diet intervention comprising three blocks of diet/exercise manipulations: 1) "train-high" interval training sessions (HIT) in the evening with high-CHO availability; 2) overnight CHO restriction ("sleeping-low"), and 3) "train-low" sessions with low endogenous and exogenous CHO availability. The CON group followed the same training program but with high CHO availability throughout training sessions (no CHO restriction overnight, training sessions with exogenous CHO provision). Results: There was a significant improvement in delta efficiency during submaximal cycling for SL versus CON (CON: +1.4 +/- 9.3 %, SL: +11 +/- 15 %, P<0.05). SL also improved supra-maximal cycling to exhaustion at 150% of peak aerobic power (CON: +1.63 +/- 12.4 %, SL: +12.5 +/- 19.0 %; P = 0.06) and 10 km running performance (CON: -0.10 +/- 2.03 %, SL: -2.9 +/- 2.15 %; P < 0.05). Fat mass was decreased in SL (CON: -2.6 +/- 7.4; SL: -8.5 +/- 7.4 %PRE, P < 0.01), but not lean mass (CON: -0.22 +/- 1.0; SL: -0.16 +/- 1.7 %PRE). Conclusion: Short-term periodization of dietary CHO availability around selected training sessions promoted significant improvements in submaximal cycling economy, as well as supra-maximal cycling capacity and 10 km running time in trained endurance athletes

Design and Manufacture of the Superconducting Bus-bars for the LHC Main Magnets

The main magnets of the LHC are series-connected electrically in different powering circuits by means of superconducting bus-bars, carrying a maximum current of 13 kA. These superconducting bus-bars consist of a superconducting cable thermally and electrically coupled to a copper profile all along the length. The function of the copper profile is essentially to provide an alternative path for the current in case the superconducting cable loses its superconducting state and returns to normal state because of a transient disturbance or of a normal zone propagation coming from the neighbouring magnets. When a superconducting bus-bar quenches to normal state its temperature must always stay below a safe values of about 100°C while the copper is conducting. When a resistive transition is detected, the protection systems triggers the ramping down of the current from 13000 A to 0. The ramp rate must not exceed a maximum value to avoid the transition of magnets series-connected in the circuit. This paper concerns the design and the manufacture of the high current superconducting bus-bars needed to interconnect the magnetic elements of the main dipoles, the main quadrupoles of the arcs and of the dispersion suppressors of the LHC

Consequences of strong fluctuations on high-energy QCD evolution

We investigate the behaviour of the QCD evolution towards high-energy, in the diffusive approximation, in the limit where the fluctuation contribution is large. Our solution for the equivalent stochastic Fisher equation predicts the amplitude as well as the whole set of correlators in the strong noise limit. The speed of the front and the diffusion coefficient are obtained. We analyse the consequences on high-energy evolution in QCD.Comment: 5 pages, 1 figure, more detailed discussions added, version to appear in Phys. Rev.

Les rongeurs de la grotte Delfour a Sonac (Lot)

La grotte Delfour est creusée dans les calcaires jurassiques du causse de Gramat. Le remplissage a donné des restes de grands et de petits mammifères, ces derniers étant seuls étudiés dans cette note. La présence d’Allophaiomys pliocaenicus et de Ungaromys nanus permet de proposer, pour la partie terminale du remplissage de cette cavité, un âge Pléistocène inférieur, proche d’un million d’années.Delfour cave is excavated in jurassic limestones of Gramat causse. The deposits have given remains of large and small mammals, the last one being only studied here. Presence of Allophaiomys pliocaenicus and Ungaromys nanus allows to propose, for the summit of the sediments of this cave, an age not so far from one million years, during lower Pleistocene

Extracting the Distribution Amplitudes of the rho meson from the Color Glass Condensate

We extract the leading twist-2 and subleading twist-3 Distribution Amplitudes (DAs) of the rho meson using the HERA data on diffractive rho photoproduction. We do so using several Colour Glass Condensate (CGC) inspired and a Regge inspired dipole models. We find that our extracted twist-2 DA is not much model dependent and is consistent with QCD Sum Rules and lattice predictions. The extracted twist-3 DA is more model dependent but is still consistent with the Sum Rules prediction.Comment: 21 pages, 10 figures, 3 tables. Section 6 revised, figures 8 and 9 and table 3 updated. Conclusions essentially unchange

Vif is a RNA chaperone that could temporally regulate RNA dimerization and the early steps of HIV-1 reverse transcription

HIV-1 Vif (viral infectivity factor) is associated with the assembly complexes and packaged at low level into the viral particles, and is essential for viral replication in non-permissive cells. Viral particles produced in the absence of Vif exhibit structural defects and are defective in the early steps of reverse transcription. Here, we show that Vif is able to anneal primer tRNALys3 to the viral RNA, to decrease pausing of reverse transcriptase during (–) strand strong-stop DNA synthesis, and to promote the first strand transfer. Vif also stimulates formation of loose HIV-1 genomic RNA dimers. These results indicate that Vif is a bona fide RNA chaperone. We next studied the effects of Vif in the presence of HIV-1 NCp, which is a well-established RNA chaperone. Vif inhibits NCp-mediated formation of tight RNA dimers and hybridization of tRNALys3, while it has little effects on NCp-mediated strand transfer and it collaborates with nucleocapsid (NC) to increase RT processivity. Thus, Vif might negatively regulate NC-assisted maturation of the RNA dimer and early steps of reverse transcription in the assembly complexes, but these inhibitory effects would be relieved after viral budding, thanks to the limited packaging of Vif in the virions

Possible background reductions in double beta decay experiments

The background induced by radioactive impurities of $^{208}\rm Tl$ and $^{214}\rm Bi$ in the source of the double beta experiment NEMO-3 has been investigated. New methods of data analysis which decrease the background from the above mentioned contamination are identified. The techniques can also be applied to other double beta decay experiments capable of measuring independently the energies of the two electrons.Comment: 15 pages, 13 figures, accepted in the Nuclear Instruments and Methods