47 research outputs found
Spin Dependent Fragmentation Functions for Heavy Flavor Baryons and Single Heavy Hyperon Polarization
Spin dependent fragmentation functions for heavy flavor quarks to fragment
into heavy baryons are calculated in a quark-diquark model. The production of
intermediate spin 1/2 and 3/2 excited states is explicity included.
, and production rate and polarization at LEP energies are
calculated and, where possible, compared with experiment. A different approach,
also relying on a heavy quark-diquark model, is proposed for the small momentum
transfer inclusive production of polarized heavy flavor hyperons. The predicted
polarization is roughly in agreement with experiment.Comment: LaTeX2e 11 pages with 4 PostScript figures. To be published in
Proceedings of the International Workshop ``Symmetries and spin'',
Praha-SPIN-200
Restoration of factorization for low hadron hadroproduction
We discuss the applicability of the factorization theorem to low-
hadron production in hadron-hadron collision in a simple toy model, which
involves only scalar particles and gluons. It has been shown that the
factorization for high- hadron hadroproduction is broken by soft gluons in
the Glauber region, which are exchanged among a transverse-momentum-dependent
(TMD) parton density and other subprocesses of the collision. We explain that
the contour of a loop momentum can be deformed away from the Glauber region at
low , so the above residual infrared divergence is factorized by means of
the standard eikonal approximation. The factorization is then restored in
the sense that a TMD parton density maintains its universality. Because the
resultant Glauber factor is independent of hadron flavors, experimental
constraints on its behavior are possible. The factorization can also be
restored for the transverse single-spin asymmetry in hadron-hadron collision at
low in a similar way, with the residual infrared divergence being
factorized into the same Glauber factor.Comment: 12 pages, 2 figures, version to appear in EPJ
Pion and sigma meson properties in a relativistic quark model
A variety of strong and electroweak interaction properties of the pion and
the light scalar sigma meson are computed in a relativistic quark model. Under
the assumption that the resulting coupling of these mesons to the constituent
quarks is identical, the sigma meson mass is determined as M_sigma=385.4 MeV.
We discuss in detail the gauging of the non-local meson-quark interaction and
calculate the electromagnetic form factor of the pion and the form factors of
the pi(0) -> gamma gamma and sigma -> gamma gamma processes. We obtain explicit
expressions for the relevant form factors and evaluate the leading and
next-to-leading orders for large Euclidean photon virtualities. Turning to the
decay properties of the sigma we determine the width of the electromagnetic
sigma -> gamma gamma transition and discuss the strong decay sigma -> pi pi. In
a final step we compute the nonleptonic decays D -> sigma pi and B -> sigma pi
relevant for the possible observation of the sigma meson. All our results are
compared to available experimental data and to results of other theoretical
studies.Comment: 46 page
Machine learning based prediction of COVID-19 mortality suggests repositioning of anticancer drug for treating severe cases
Despite available vaccinations COVID-19 case numbers around the world are still growing, and effective medications against severe cases are lacking. In this work, we developed a machine learning model which predicts mortality for COVID-19 patients using data from the multi-center ‘Lean European Open Survey on SARS-CoV-2-infected patients’ (LEOSS) observational study (>100 active sites in Europe, primarily in Germany), resulting into an AUC of almost 80%. We showed that molecular mechanisms related to dementia, one of the relevant predictors in our model, intersect with those associated to COVID-19. Most notably, among these molecules was tyrosine kinase 2 (TYK2), a protein that has been patented as drug target in Alzheimer's Disease but also genetically associated with severe COVID-19 outcomes. We experimentally verified that anti-cancer drugs Sorafenib and Regorafenib showed a clear anti-cytopathic effect in Caco2 and VERO-E6 cells and can thus be regarded as potential treatments against COVID-19. Altogether, our work demonstrates that interpretation of machine learning based risk models can point towards drug targets and new treatment options, which are strongly needed for COVID-19
Longitudinal Serum Protein Analysis of Women with a High Risk of Developing Breast Cancer Reveals Large Interpatient Versus Small Intrapatient Variations:First Results from the TESTBREAST Study
The prospective, multicenter TESTBREAST study was initiated with the aim of identifying a novel panel of blood-based protein biomarkers to enable early breast cancer detection for moderate-to-high-risk women. Serum samples were collected every (half) year up until diagnosis. Protein levels were longitudinally measured to determine intrapatient and interpatient variabilities. To this end, protein cluster patterns were evaluated to form a conceptual basis for further clinical analyses. Using a mass spectrometry-based bottom-up proteomics strategy, the protein abundance of 30 samples was analyzed: five sequential serum samples from six high-risk women; three who developed a breast malignancy (cases) and three who did not (controls). Serum samples were chromatographically fractionated and an in-depth serum proteome was acquired. Cluster analyses were applied to indicate differences between and within protein levels in serum samples of individuals. Statistical analyses were performed using ANOVA to select proteins with a high level of clustering. Cluster analyses on 30 serum samples revealed unique patterns of protein clustering for each patient, indicating a greater interpatient than intrapatient variability in protein levels of the longitudinally acquired samples. Moreover, the most distinctive proteins in the cluster analysis were identified. Strong clustering patterns within longitudinal intrapatient samples have demonstrated the importance of identifying small changes in protein levels for individuals over time. This underlines the significance of longitudinal serum measurements, that patients can serve as their own controls, and the relevance of the current study set-up for early detection. The TESTBREAST study will continue its pursuit toward establishing a protein panel for early breast cancer detection
Fitting the integrated Spectral Energy Distributions of Galaxies
Fitting the spectral energy distributions (SEDs) of galaxies is an almost
universally used technique that has matured significantly in the last decade.
Model predictions and fitting procedures have improved significantly over this
time, attempting to keep up with the vastly increased volume and quality of
available data. We review here the field of SED fitting, describing the
modelling of ultraviolet to infrared galaxy SEDs, the creation of
multiwavelength data sets, and the methods used to fit model SEDs to observed
galaxy data sets. We touch upon the achievements and challenges in the major
ingredients of SED fitting, with a special emphasis on describing the interplay
between the quality of the available data, the quality of the available models,
and the best fitting technique to use in order to obtain a realistic
measurement as well as realistic uncertainties. We conclude that SED fitting
can be used effectively to derive a range of physical properties of galaxies,
such as redshift, stellar masses, star formation rates, dust masses, and
metallicities, with care taken not to over-interpret the available data. Yet
there still exist many issues such as estimating the age of the oldest stars in
a galaxy, finer details ofdust properties and dust-star geometry, and the
influences of poorly understood, luminous stellar types and phases. The
challenge for the coming years will be to improve both the models and the
observational data sets to resolve these uncertainties. The present review will
be made available on an interactive, moderated web page (sedfitting.org), where
the community can access and change the text. The intention is to expand the
text and keep it up to date over the coming years.Comment: 54 pages, 26 figures, Accepted for publication in Astrophysics &
Space Scienc
Integrated analysis of environmental and genetic influences on cord blood DNA methylation in new-borns
Epigenetic processes, including DNA methylation (DNAm), are among the mechanisms allowing integration of genetic and environmental factors to shape cellular function. While many studies have investigated either environmental or genetic contributions to DNAm, few have assessed their integrated effects. Here we examine the relative contributions of prenatal environmental factors and genotype on DNA methylation in neonatal blood at variably methylated regions (VMRs) in 4 independent cohorts (overall n = 2365). We use Akaike’s information criterion to test which factors best explain variability of methylation in the cohort-specific VMRs: several prenatal environmental factors (E), genotypes in cis (G), or their additive (G + E) or interaction (GxE) effects. Genetic and environmental factors in combination best explain DNAm at the majority of VMRs. The CpGs best explained by either G, G + E or GxE are functionally distinct. The enrichment of genetic variants from GxE models in GWAS for complex disorders supports their importance for disease risk
Prevalence of Age-Related Macular Degeneration in Europe: The Past and the Future
Purpose Age-related macular degeneration (AMD) is a frequent, complex disorder in elderly of European ancestry. Risk profiles and treatment options have changed considerably over the years, which may have affected disease prevalence and outcome. We determined the prevalence of early and late AMD in Europe from 1990 to 2013 using the European Eye Epidemiology (E3) consortium, and made projections for the future. Design Meta-analysis of prevalence data. Participants A total of 42 080 individuals 40 years of age and older participating in 14 population-based cohorts from 10 countries in Europe. Methods AMD was diagnosed based on fundus photographs using the Rotterdam Classification. Prevalence of early and late AMD was calculated using random-effects meta-analysis stratified for age, birth cohort, gender, geographic region, and time period of the study. Best-corrected visual acuity (BCVA) was compared between late AMD subtypes; geographic atrophy (GA) and choroidal neovascularization (CNV). Main Outcome Measures Prevalence of early and late AMD, BCVA, and number of AMD cases. Results Prevalence of early AMD increased from 3.5% (95% confidence interval [CI] 2.1%–5.0%) in those aged 55–59 years to 17.6% (95%
Grundlagenuntersuchungen zur Herstellung von Lasermikrobohrungen in Stahl und dem Ausströmverhalten von CO2 als Trockenschmiermedium
Technische, wirtschaftliche und gesetzliche Vorgaben führen zu gesteigerten Anforderungen an Schmierstoffe der Blechumformung. Auch die Auswirkungen auf die Umwelt werden immer relevanter. Langfristig ist das Ziel, die verwendete Schmierstoffmenge zu reduzieren, um zukünftig Blechbearbeitungen ohne Schmierstoffe durchführen zu können. Ausgehend vom Bestreben der Trockenumformung wird ein neuartiges Verfahren zur Schmierung von Tiefziehprozessen mit flüssigem CO als Schmierstoffersatz entwickelt. Dieses Verfahren ermöglicht das Einbringen eines Zwischenmediums in das tribologische System mit Verzicht auf nachfolgende, kostenintensive Reinigungsprozesse, da das flüssige CO bei der Entspannung auf Umgebungsdruck seinen Aggregatszustand ändert und rückstandslos verdampft. Die Zuführung erfolgt dabei direkt in der Wirkfuge über lasergebohrte Mikrolöcher. Es wird gezeigt, dass mit Laserpulsen mit Pulsenergien von bis zu 2,3 mJ und einer Pulsdauer von 8 ps 12 mm dicker, nichtrostender Stahl in weniger als 50 Sekunden (pro Loch) gebohrt werden kann. Erst durch diese relativ kurzen Prozesszeiten wird es möglich sein, ausreichend viele Löcher für Werkzeuge für industrielle Anforderungen zu erzeugen und anschließend im Modellversuch „Streifenziehen mit Flachbahn“ auf ihre grundsätzliche Eignung zu verifizieren. Zur Verteilung des CO werden in die Oberfläche von Umformwerkzeugen lasergenerierte Strukturen eingebracht. Zur Beurteilung der ablaufenden Prozesse und zur Beschreibung des tribologischen Systems wurden Untersuchungen zum Benetzungsverhalten von Werkzeug und Blech in einem Druckreaktor durchgeführt