Eliashberg-type equations for correlated superconductors

The derivation of the Eliashberg -- type equations for a superconductor with strong correlations and electron--phonon interaction has been presented. The proper account of short range Coulomb interactions results in a strongly anisotropic equations. Possible symmetries of the order parameter include s, p and d wave. We found the carrier concentration dependence of the coupling constants corresponding to these symmetries. At low hole doping the d-wave component is the largest one.Comment: RevTeX, 18 pages, 5 ps figures added at the end of source file, to be published in Phys.Rev. B, contact: [email protected]

Novel method for hit-position reconstruction using voltage signals in plastic scintillators and its application to Positron Emission Tomography

Currently inorganic scintillator detectors are used in all commercial Time of Flight Positron Emission Tomograph (TOF-PET) devices. The J-PET collaboration investigates a possibility of construction of a PET scanner from plastic scintillators which would allow for single bed imaging of the whole human body. This paper describes a novel method of hit-position reconstruction based on sampled signals and an example of an application of the method for a single module with a 30 cm long plastic strip, read out on both ends by Hamamatsu R4998 photomultipliers. The sampling scheme to generate a vector with samples of a PET event waveform with respect to four user-defined amplitudes is introduced. The experimental setup provides irradiation of a chosen position in the plastic scintillator strip with an annihilation gamma quanta of energy 511~keV. The statistical test for a multivariate normal (MVN) distribution of measured vectors at a given position is developed, and it is shown that signals sampled at four thresholds in a voltage domain are approximately normally distributed variables. With the presented method of a vector analysis made out of waveform samples acquired with four thresholds, we obtain a spatial resolution of about 1 cm and a timing resolution of about 80 p

Compressive Sensing of Signals Generated in Plastic Scintillators in a Novel J-PET Instrument

The J-PET scanner, which allows for single bed imaging of the whole human body, is currently under development at the Jagiellonian University. The dis- cussed detector offers improvement of the Time of Flight (TOF) resolution due to the use of fast plastic scintillators and dedicated electronics allowing for sam- pling in the voltage domain of signals with durations of few nanoseconds. In this paper we show that recovery of the whole signal, based on only a few samples, is possible. In order to do that, we incorporate the training signals into the Tikhonov regularization framework and we perform the Principal Component Analysis decomposition, which is well known for its compaction properties. The method yields a simple closed form analytical solution that does not require iter- ative processing. Moreover, from the Bayes theory the properties of regularized solution, especially its covariance matrix, may be easily derived. This is the key to introduce and prove the formula for calculations of the signal recovery error. In this paper we show that an average recovery error is approximately inversely proportional to the number of acquired samples

Application of the Compress Sensing Theory for Improvement of the TOF Resolution in a Novel J-PET Instrument

Nowadays, in Positron Emission Tomography (PET) systems, a Time of Flight information is used to improve the image reconstruction process. In Time of Flight PET (TOF-PET), fast detectors are able to measure the difference in the arrival time of the two gamma rays, with the precision enabling to shorten significantly a range along the line-of-response (LOR) where the annihilation occurred. In the new concept, called J-PET scanner, gamma rays are detected in plastic scintillators. In a single strip of J-PET system, time values are obtained by probing signals in the amplitude domain. Owing to Compress Sensing theory, information about the shape and amplitude of the signals is recovered. In this paper we demonstrate that based on the acquired signals parameters, a better signal normalization may be provided in order to improve the TOF resolution. The procedure was tested using large sample of data registered by a dedicated detection setup enabling sampling of signals with 50 ps intervals. Experimental setup provided irradiation of a chosen position in the plastic scintillator strip with annihilation gamma quanta

Tevatron-for-LHC Report of the QCD Working Group

The experiments at Run 2 of the Tevatron have each accumulated over 1 inverse femtobarn of high-transverse momentum data. Such a dataset allows for the first precision (i.e. comparisons between theory and experiment at the few percent level) tests of QCD at a hadron collider. While the Large Hadron Collider has been designed as a discovery machine, basic QCD analyses will still need to be performed to understand the working environment. The Tevatron-for-LHC workshop was conceived as a communication link to pass on the expertise of the Tevatron and to test new analysis ideas coming from the LHC community. The TeV4LHC QCD Working Group focussed on important aspects of QCD at hadron colliders: jet definitions, extraction and use of Parton Distribution Functions, the underlying event, Monte Carlo tunes, and diffractive physics. This report summarizes some of the results achieved during this workshop.Comment: 156 pages, Tevatron-for-LHC Conference Report of the QCD Working Grou

Safety, tolerability, and impact on allergic inflammation of autologous E.coli autovaccine in the treatment of house dust mite asthma - a prospective open clinical trial

Background: Asthma is increasing worldwide and results from a complex immunological interaction between genetic susceptibility and environmental factors. Autovaccination with E. coli induces a strong TH-1 immune response, thus offering an option for the treatment of allergic diseases. Methods: Prospective open trial on safety, tolerability, and impact on allergic inflammation of an autologous E.coli autovaccine in intermittent or mild persistent house dust mite asthma. Determination of exhaled nitric monoxide (eNO) before and after bronchial mite challenge initially and after nine months of autovaccination. Results: Median eNO increase after autovaccination was significantly smaller (from 27.3 to 33.8 ppb; p=0.334) compared to initial values (from 32.6 to 42.2 ppb; p=0.046) (p=0.034). In nine subjects and a total of 306 injections, we observed 101 episodes of local erythema (33.3%; median of maximal diameter 2.5 cm), 95 episodes of local swelling (31.1%; median of maximal diameter 3 cm), and 27 episodes of local pain (8.8%). Four subjects reported itching at the injection site with a total of 30 episodes (9.8%). We observed no serious adverse events. All organ functions (inclusive electrocardiogramm) and laboratory testing of the blood (clinical chemistry, hematology) and the urine (screening test, B-microglobuline) were within normal limits. Vital signs undulated within the physiological variability. Conclusion: The administration of autologous autovacine for the treatment of house dust mite asthma resulted in a reduction of the eNO increase upon bronchial mite challenge. In nine subjects and 306 injections, only a few mild local reactions and no systemic severe adverse events were observed. EudraCT Nr. 2005-005534-12 ClinicalTrials.gov ID NCT0067720

Rotational modulation and single g-mode pulsation in the B9pSi star HD 174356?

Chemically peculiar (CP) stars of the upper main sequence are characterized by specific anomalies in the photospheric abundances of some chemical elements. The group of CP2 stars, which encompasses classical Ap and Bp stars, exhibits strictly periodic light, spectral, and spectropolarimetric variations that can be adequately explained by the model of a rigidly rotating star with persistent surface structures and a stable global magnetic field. Using observations from the Kepler K2 mission, we find that the B9pSi star HD 174356 displays a light curve variable in both amplitude and shape, which is not expected in a CP2 star. Employing archival and new photometric and spectroscopic observations, we carry out a detailed abundance analysis of HD 174356 and discuss its photometric and astrophysical properties in detail. We employ phenomenological modelling to decompose the light curve and the observed radial velocity variability. Our abundance analysis confirms that HD 174356 is a silicon-type CP2 star. No magnetic field stronger than 110 G was found. The star's light curve can be interpreted as the sum of two independent strictly periodic signals with and. The periods have remained stable over 17 yr of observations. In all spectra, HD 174356 appears to be single-lined. From the simulation of the variability characteristics and investigation of stars in the close angular vicinity, we put forth the hypothesis that the peculiar light variability of HD 174356 arises in a single star and is caused by rotational modulation due to surface abundance patches (P1) and g-mode pulsation (P2).Fil: Mikulaek, Z. Masaryk University; República ChecaFil: Paunzen, E.. Masaryk University; República ChecaFil: Hümmerich, S.. Masaryk University; República ChecaFil: Niemczura, E.. University of Wrocław; PoloniaFil: Walczak, P.. University of Wrocław; PoloniaFil: Fraga, L.. Masaryk University; República ChecaFil: Bernhard, K.. American Association of Variable Star Observers ; Estados UnidosFil: Janik, J.. Masaryk University; República ChecaFil: Hubrig, S.. Leibniz-Institut für Astrophysik Potsdam; AlemaniaFil: Järvinen, S.. Masaryk University; República ChecaFil: Jagelka, M.. Leibniz Institute For Astrophysics Potsdam; AlemaniaFil: Pintado, Olga Ines. Consejo Nacional de Investigaciones Científicas y Técnicas. Centro Científico Tecnológico Conicet - Tucumán. Instituto Superior de Correlación Geológica. Universidad Nacional de Tucumán. Facultad de Ciencias Naturales e Instituto Miguel Lillo. Departamento de Geología. Cátedra Geología Estructural. Instituto Superior de Correlación Geológica; Argentina. Universidad San Pablo Tucumán; ArgentinaFil: Krticka, J.. Masaryk University; República ChecaFil: Prisegen, M.. Masaryk University; República ChecaFil: Skarka, M.. Masaryk University; República ChecaFil: Zejda, M.. Masaryk University; República ChecaFil: Ilyin, I.. Leibniz-Institut für Astrophysik Potsdam; AlemaniaFil: Pribulla, T.. Masaryk University; República ChecaFil: Kaminski, K.. Adam Mickiewicz University; PoloniaFil: Kaminska, M. K.. Adam Mickiewicz University; PoloniaFil: Tokarek, J.. Adam Mickiewicz University; PoloniaFil: Zielinski, P.. Astronomical Observatory University of Warsaw; Poloni

Molecular Mechanism of Thymidylate Synthase Inhibition by N 4 Hydroxy dCMP in View of Spectrophotometric and Crystallographic Studies

Novel evidence is presented allowing further clarification of the mechanism of the slow binding thymidylate synthase TS inhibition by N4 hydroxy dCMP N4 OH dCMP . Spectrophotometric monitoring documented time and temperature , and N4 OH dCMP dependent TS catalyzed dihydrofolate production, accompanying the mouse enzyme incubation with N4 OH dCMP and N5,10 methylenetetrahydrofolate, known to inactivate the enzyme by the covalent binding of the inhibitor, suggesting the demonstrated reaction to be uncoupled from the pyrimidine C 5 methylation. The latter was in accord with the hypothesis based on the previously presented structure of mouse TS cf. PDB ID 4EZ8 , and with conclusions based on the present structure of the parasitic nematode Trichinella spiralis, both co crystallized with N4 OH dCMP and N5,10 methylenetetrahdrofolate. The crystal structure of the mouse TS N4 OH dCMP complex soaked with N5,10 methylenetetrahydrofolate revealed the reaction to run via a unique imidazolidine ring opening, leaving the one carbon group bound to the N 10 atom, thus too distant from the pyrimidine C 5 atom to enable the electrophilic attack and methylene group transfe

LHC Optics Measurement with Proton Tracks Detected by the Roman Pots of the TOTEM Experiment

Precise knowledge of the beam optics at the LHC is crucial to fulfil the physics goals of the TOTEM experiment, where the kinematics of the scattered protons is reconstructed with the near-beam telescopes -- so-called Roman Pots (RP). Before being detected, the protons' trajectories are influenced by the magnetic fields of the accelerator lattice. Thus precise understanding of the proton transport is of key importance for the experiment. A novel method of optics evaluation is proposed which exploits kinematical distributions of elastically scattered protons observed in the RPs. Theoretical predictions, as well as Monte Carlo studies, show that the residual uncertainty of this optics estimation method is smaller than 0.25 percent.Comment: 20 pages, 11 figures, 5 figures, to be submitted to New J. Phy