Querying Large Physics Data Sets Over an Information Grid

Optimising use of the Web (WWW) for LHC data analysis is a complex problem and illustrates the challenges arising from the integration of and computation across massive amounts of information distributed worldwide. Finding the right piece of information can, at times, be extremely time-consuming, if not impossible. So-called Grids have been proposed to facilitate LHC computing and many groups have embarked on studies of data replication, data migration and networking philosophies. Other aspects such as the role of 'middleware' for Grids are emerging as requiring research. This paper positions the need for appropriate middleware that enables users to resolve physics queries across massive data sets. It identifies the role of meta-data for query resolution and the importance of Information Grids for high-energy physics analysis rather than just Computational or Data Grids. This paper identifies software that is being implemented at CERN to enable the querying of very large collaborating HEP data-sets, initially being employed for the construction of CMS detectors.Comment: 4 pages, 3 figure

Leukocyte function in COPD: clinical relevance and potential for drug therapy.

Chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) is a progressive lung condition affecting 10% of the global population over 45 years. Currently, there are no disease-modifying treatments, with current therapies treating only the symptoms of the disease. COPD is an inflammatory disease, with a high infiltration of leukocytes being found within the lung of COPD patients. These leukocytes, if not kept in check, damage the lung, leading to the pathophysiology associated with the disease. In this review, we focus on the main leukocytes found within the COPD lung, describing how the release of chemokines from the damaged epithelial lining recruits these cells into the lung. Once present, these cells become active and may be driven towards a more pro-inflammatory phenotype. These cells release their own subtypes of inflammatory mediators, growth factors and proteases which can all lead to airway remodeling, mucus hypersecretion and emphysema. Finally, we describe some of the current therapies and potential new targets that could be utilized to target aberrant leukocyte function in the COPD lung. Here, we focus on old therapies such as statins and corticosteroids, but also look at the emerging field of biologics describing those which have been tested in COPD already and potential new monoclonal antibodies which are under review

A General Formula for Black Hole Gravitational Wave Kicks

Although the gravitational wave kick velocity in the orbital plane of coalescing black holes has been understood for some time, apparently conflicting formulae have been proposed for the dominant out-of-plane kick, each a good fit to different data sets. This is important to resolve because it is only the out-of-plane kicks that can reach more than 500 km/s and can thus eject merged remnants from galaxies. Using a different ansatz for the out-of-plane kick, we show that we can fit almost all existing data to better than 5 %. This is good enough for any astrophysical calculation, and shows that the previous apparent conflict was only because the two data sets explored different aspects of the kick parameter space.Comment: 14 pages

Finite size effects on measures of critical exponents in d=3 O(N) models

We study the critical properties of three-dimensional O(N) models, for N=2,3,4. Parameterizing the leading corrections-to-scaling for the $\eta$ exponent, we obtain a reliable infinite volume extrapolation, incompatible with previous Monte Carlo values, but in agreement with $\epsilon$-expansions. We also measure the critical exponent related with the tensorial magnetization as well as the $\nu$ exponents and critical couplings.Comment: 12 pages, 2 postscript figure

Early- and late-migrating cranial neural crest cell populations have equivalent developmental potential in vivo

We present the first in vivo study of the long-term fate and potential of early-migrating and late-migrating mesencephalic neural crest cell populations, by performing isochronic and heterochronic quail-to-chick grafts. Both early- and late-migrating populations form melanocytes, neurons, glia, cartilage and bone in isochronic, isotopic chimeras, showing that neither population is lineage-restricted. The early-migrating population distributes both dorsally and ventrally during normal development, while the late-migrating population is confined dorsally and forms much less cartilage and bone. When the late-migrating population is substituted heterochronically for the early-migrating population, it contributes extensively to ventral derivatives such as jaw cartilage and bone. Conversely, when the early-migrating population is substituted heterochronically for the late-migrating population, it no longer contributes to the jaw skeleton and only forms dorsal derivatives. When the late-migrating population is grafted into a late-stage host whose neural crest had previously been ablated, it migrates ventrally into the jaws. Thus, the dorsal fate restriction of the late-migrating mesencephalic neural crest cell population in normal development is due to the presence of earlier-migrating neural crest cells, rather than to any change in the environment or to any intrinsic difference in migratory ability or potential between early- and late-migrating cell populations. These results highlight the plasticity of the neural crest and show that its fate is determined primarily by the environment

Critical exponents predicted by grouping of Feynman diagrams in phi^4 model

Different perturbation theory treatments of the Ginzburg-Landau phase transition model are discussed. This includes a criticism of the perturbative renormalization group (RG) approach and a proposal of a novel method providing critical exponents consistent with the known exact solutions in two dimensions. The usual perturbation theory is reorganized by appropriate grouping of Feynman diagrams of phi^4 model with O(n) symmetry. As a result, equations for calculation of the two-point correlation function are obtained which allow to predict possible exact values of critical exponents in two and three dimensions by proving relevant scaling properties of the asymptotic solution at (and near) the criticality. The new values of critical exponents are discussed and compared to the results of numerical simulations and experiments.Comment: 34 pages, 6 figure

Field Theoretic Calculation of the Universal Amplitude Ratio of Correlation Lengths in 3D-Ising Systems

In three-dimensional systems of the Ising universality class the ratio of correlation length amplitudes for the high- and low-temperature phases is a universal quantity. Its field theoretic determination apart from the $\epsilon$-expansion represents a gap in the existing literature. In this article we present a method, which allows to calculate this ratio by renormalized perturbation theory in the phases with unbroken and broken symmetry of a one-component $\phi^4$-theory in fixed dimensions $D=3$. The results can be expressed as power series in the renormalized coupling constant of either of the two phases, and with the knowledge of their fixed point values numerical estimates are obtainable. These are given for the case of a two-loop calculation.Comment: 14 pages, MS-TPI-94-0

Theory and Satellite Experiment for Critical Exponent alpha of lambda-Transition in Superfluid Helium

On the basis recent seven-loop perturbation expansion for nu^{-1} = 3/(2 - alpha) we perform a careful reinvestigation of the critical exponent alpha governing the power behavior |T_c-T|^{- alpha} of the specific heat of superfluid helium near the phase transition. With the help of variational strong-coupling theory. we find alpha = - 0.01126 +- 0.0010, in very good agreement with the space shuttle experimental value alpha = - 0.01056 +- 0.00038.Comment: Final version to be printed in Phys. Lett. A. Author Information under http://www.physik.fu-berlin.de/~kleinert/institution.html . Latest update of paper also at http://www.physik.fu-berlin.de/~kleinert/28

Effective potential in three-dimensional O(N) models

We consider the effective potential in three-dimensional models with O(N) symmetry. For generic values of N, and in particular for the physically interesting cases N=0,1,2,3, we determine the six-point and eight-point renormalized coupling constants which parametrize its small-field expansion. These estimates are obtained from the analysis of their $\epsilon$-expansion, taking into account the exact results in one and zero dimensions, and, for the Ising model (i.e. N=1), the accurate high-temperature estimates in two dimensions. They are compared with the available results from other approaches. We also obtain corresponding estimates for the two-dimensional O($N$) models.Comment: 22 pages, revtex, 2 fig