17,077 research outputs found
Discrete Morse functions for graph configuration spaces
We present an alternative application of discrete Morse theory for
two-particle graph configuration spaces. In contrast to previous constructions,
which are based on discrete Morse vector fields, our approach is through Morse
functions, which have a nice physical interpretation as two-body potentials
constructed from one-body potentials. We also give a brief introduction to
discrete Morse theory. Our motivation comes from the problem of quantum
statistics for particles on networks, for which generalized versions of anyon
statistics can appear.Comment: 26 page
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Antrodia cinnamomea reduces obesity and modulates the gut microbiota in high-fat diet-fed mice.
BackgroundObesity is associated with gut microbiota dysbiosis, disrupted intestinal barrier and chronic inflammation. Given the high and increasing prevalence of obesity worldwide, anti-obesity treatments that are safe, effective and widely available would be beneficial. We examined whether the medicinal mushroom Antrodia cinnamomea may reduce obesity in mice fed with a high-fat diet (HFD).MethodsMale C57BL/6J mice were fed a HFD for 8 weeks to induce obesity and chronic inflammation. The mice were treated with a water extract of A. cinnamomea (WEAC), and body weight, fat accumulation, inflammation markers, insulin sensitivity and the gut microbiota were monitored.ResultsAfter 8 weeks, the mean body weight of HFD-fed mice was 39.8±1.2 g compared with 35.8±1.3 g for the HFD+1% WEAC group, corresponding to a reduction of 4 g or 10% of body weight (P<0.0001). WEAC supplementation reduced fat accumulation and serum triglycerides in a statistically significant manner in HFD-fed mice. WEAC also reversed the effects of HFD on inflammation markers (interleukin-1β, interleukin-6, tumor necrosis factor-α), insulin resistance and adipokine production (leptin and adiponectin). Notably, WEAC increased the expression of intestinal tight junctions (zonula occludens-1 and occludin) and antimicrobial proteins (Reg3g and lysozyme C) in the small intestine, leading to reduced blood endotoxemia. Finally, WEAC modulated the composition of the gut microbiota, reducing the Firmicutes/Bacteroidetes ratio and increasing the level of Akkermansia muciniphila and other bacterial species associated with anti-inflammatory properties.ConclusionsSupplementation with A. cinnamomea produces anti-obesogenic, anti-inflammatory and antidiabetic effects in HFD-fed mice by maintaining intestinal integrity and modulating the gut microbiota
Feedback Heating by Cosmic Rays in Clusters of Galaxies
Recent observations show that the cooling flows in the central regions of
galaxy clusters are highly suppressed. Observed AGN-induced cavities/bubbles
are a leading candidate for suppressing cooling, usually via some form of
mechanical heating. At the same time, observed X-ray cavities and synchrotron
emission point toward a significant non-thermal particle population. Previous
studies have focused on the dynamical effects of cosmic-ray pressure support,
but none have built successful models in which cosmic-ray heating is
significant. Here we investigate a new model of AGN heating, in which the
intracluster medium is efficiently heated by cosmic-rays, which are injected
into the ICM through diffusion or the shredding of the bubbles by
Rayleigh-Taylor or Kelvin-Helmholtz instabilities. We include thermal
conduction as well. Using numerical simulations, we show that the cooling
catastrophe is efficiently suppressed. The cluster quickly relaxes to a
quasi-equilibrium state with a highly reduced accretion rate and temperature
and density profiles which match observations. Unlike the conduction-only case,
no fine-tuning of the Spitzer conduction suppression factor f is needed. The
cosmic ray pressure, P_c/P_g <~ 0.1 and dP_c/dr <~ 0.1 \rho g, is well within
observational bounds. Cosmic ray heating is a very attractive alternative to
mechanical heating, and may become particularly compelling if GLAST detects the
gamma-ray signature of cosmic-rays in clusters.Comment: Revised version accepted for publication in MNRAS. Significantly
expanded discussion and new simulations exploring parameter space/model
robustness; conclusions unchange
Alternative functions for the multifarious inflammasome
The inflammasome has been mainly studied in innate immune cells in which it senses microbes and cellular damage, and induces secretion of pro-inflammatory cytokines. This process induces an inflammatory response that is critical for the resolution of infections and repair of tissue damage following injury. Recent studies indicate that inflammasome complex formation also participates in many other cellular and physiological processes beyond modulation of inflammation, such as autophagy, metabolism, eicosanoids production, and phagosome maturation
Pattern Formation in a Two-Dimensional Array of Oscillators with Phase-Shifted Coupling
We investigate the dynamics of a two-dimensional array of oscillators with
phase-shifted coupling. Each oscillator is allowed to interact with its
neighbors within a finite radius. The system exhibits various patterns
including squarelike pinwheels, (anti)spirals with phase-randomized cores, and
antiferro patterns embedded in (anti)spirals. We consider the symmetry
properties of the system to explain the observed behaviors, and estimate the
wavelengths of the patterns by linear analysis. Finally, we point out the
implications of our work for biological neural networks
Color-octet mechanism and J/psi polarization at LEP
Polarized heavy quarkonium productions in decays are considered. We
find that polarizations of the produced quarkonia are independent of that of
the parent Z^0 provided that one considers the energy distribution or the total
production rate. Produced J/psi's via the color-octet and the color- singlet
mechanisms are expected to be 19% and 29% longitudinally polarized,
respectively. The energy dependence of eta_{1,8}(x)=\frac{dGamma_{1,8}^L}{dx}
/\frac{dGamma_{1,8}}{d x} is very sensitive to the production mechanism, and
therefore the measurement of \eta(x)_exp will be an independent probe of the
color-octet mechanism.Comment: 15 pages, minor changes, version to be published in Phys. Rev.
The Electromagnetic Mass Differences of Pions and Kaons
We use the Cottingham method to calculate the pion and kaon electromagnetic
mass differences with as few model dependent inputs as possible. The
constraints of chiral symmetry at low energy, QCD at high energy and
experimental data in between are used in the dispersion relation. We find
excellent agreement with experiment for the pion mass difference. The kaon mass
difference exhibits a strong violation of the lowest order prediction of
Dashen's theorem, in qualitative agreement with several other recent
calculations.Comment: 40 pages, Latex, needs axodraw. and psfig. macros, 4 figure
Right-veering diffeomorphisms of compact surfaces with boundary II
We continue our study of the monoid of right-veering diffeomorphisms on a
compact oriented surface with nonempty boundary, introduced in [HKM2]. We
conduct a detailed study of the case when the surface is a punctured torus; in
particular, we exhibit the difference between the monoid of right-veering
diffeomorphisms and the monoid of products of positive Dehn twists, with the
help of the Rademacher function. We then generalize to the braid group B_n on n
strands by relating the signature and the Maslov index. Finally, we discuss the
symplectic fillability in the pseudo-Anosov case by comparing with the work of
Roberts [Ro1,Ro2].Comment: 25 pages, 5 figure
A fast ILP-based Heuristic for the robust design of Body Wireless Sensor Networks
We consider the problem of optimally designing a body wireless sensor
network, while taking into account the uncertainty of data generation of
biosensors. Since the related min-max robustness Integer Linear Programming
(ILP) problem can be difficult to solve even for state-of-the-art commercial
optimization solvers, we propose an original heuristic for its solution. The
heuristic combines deterministic and probabilistic variable fixing strategies,
guided by the information coming from strengthened linear relaxations of the
ILP robust model, and includes a very large neighborhood search for reparation
and improvement of generated solutions, formulated as an ILP problem solved
exactly. Computational tests on realistic instances show that our heuristic
finds solutions of much higher quality than a state-of-the-art solver and than
an effective benchmark heuristic.Comment: This is the authors' final version of the paper published in G.
Squillero and K. Sim (Eds.): EvoApplications 2017, Part I, LNCS 10199, pp.
1-17, 2017. DOI: 10.1007/978-3-319-55849-3\_16. The final publication is
available at Springer via http://dx.doi.org/10.1007/978-3-319-55849-3_1
decay within unitarized chiral perturbation theory
We improve the calculations of the decay
within the context of meson chiral lagrangians. We use a chiral unitary
approach for the meson-meson interaction, thus generating the
resonance and fixing the longstanding sign ambiguity on its contribution. This
also allows us to calculate the loops with one vector meson exchange, thus
removing a former source of uncertainty. In addition we ensure the consistency
of the approach with other processes. First, by using vector meson dominance
couplings normalized to agree with radiative vector meson decays. And, second,
by checking the consistency of the calculations with the related reaction. We find an decay width
of eV, in clear disagreement with published data but in
remarkable agreement with the most recent measurement.Comment: 15 pages, 10 figures, published versio
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