1,444 research outputs found
Coupled-resonator optical waveguides: Q-factor and disorder influence
Coupled resonator optical waveguides (CROW) can significantly reduce light
propagation pulse velocity due to pronounced dispersion properties. A number of
interesting applications have been proposed to benefit from such slow-light
propagation. Unfortunately, the inevitable presence of disorder, imperfections,
and a finite Q value may heavily affect the otherwise attractive properties of
CROWs. We show how finite a Q factor limits the maximum attainable group delay
time; the group index is limited by Q, but equally important the feasible
device length is itself also limited by damping resulting from a finite Q.
Adding the additional effects of disorder to this picture, limitations become
even more severe due to destructive interference phenomena, eventually in the
form of Anderson localization. Simple analytical considerations demonstrate
that the maximum attainable delay time in CROWs is limited by the intrinsic
photon lifetime of a single resonator.Comment: Accepted for Opt. Quant. Electro
Scalar meson dynamics in Chiral Perturbation Theory
A comparison of the linear sigma model (LM) and Chiral Perturbation
Theory (ChPT) predictions for pion and kaon dynamics is presented. Lowest and
next-to-leading order terms in the ChPT amplitudes are reproduced if one
restricts to scalar resonance exchange. Some low energy constants of the order
ChPT Lagrangian are fixed in terms of scalar meson masses. Present values
of these low energy constants are compatible with the LM dynamics. We
conclude that more accurate values would be most useful either to falsify the
LM or to show its capability to shed some light on the controversial
scalar physics.Comment: 9 pages, REVTeX 4.0. Final version accepted for publicatio
Novel sources of Flavor Changed Neutral Currents in the model
Sources of Flavor Changed Neutral Currents (FCNC) naturally emerge from a
well motivated framework called 3-3-1 with right-handed neutrinos model,
for short, mediated by an extra neutral gauge boson .
Following previous works we calculate these sources and in addition we derive
new ones coming from CP-even and -odd neutral scalars which appear due to their
non-diagonal interactions with the physical standard quarks. Furthermore we
show that bounds related to the neutral mesons systems and may be significantly strengthened in the presence of these new
interactions allowing us to infer stronger constraints on the parameter space
of the model.Comment: Published version. 10 pages, 6 figure
Radiative open charm decay of the Y(3940), Z(3930), X(4160) resonances
We determine the radiative decay amplitudes for decay into and , or and of some of the charmonium like
states classified as X,Y,Z resonances, plus some other hidden charm states
which are dynamically generated from the interaction of vector mesons with
charm. The mass distributions as a function of the or
invariant mass show a peculiar behavior as a consequence of
the nature of these states. The experimental search of these
magnitudes can shed light on the nature of these states.Comment: 18 pages, 9 figure
Radiative decays of light vector mesons in a quark level linear sigma model
We calculate the P0 to gamma gamma, V0 to P0 gamma and V0to V'0 gamma gamma
decays in the framework of a U(3)xU(3) linear sigma model which includes
constituent quarks. For the first two decays this approach improves results
based on the anomalous Wess-Zumino term, with contributions due to SU(3)
symmetry breaking and vector mixing. The phi to (omega,rho) gamma gamma decays
are dominated by resonant eta' exchange . Our calculation for the later decays
improves and update similar calculations in the -closely related- framework of
vector meson dominance. We obtain BR(phi to rho gamma gamma)=2.5x10^{-5} and
BR(phi to omega gamma gamma)=2.8x10^{-6} within the scope of the
high-luminosity phi factories.Comment: 8 pages, submitted to Phys. Rev.
The influence of ortho- and para-diphenoloxidase substrates on pigment formation in black yeast-like fungi
Dothideaceous black yeast-like fungi (BYF) are known to synthesise
DHN-melanin that is inhibited by the systemic fungicide tricyclazole. The
final step of the DHN melanin pathway is the conjoining of 1,8-DHN molecules
to form the melanin polymer. There are several candidate enzymes for this
step, including phenoloxidases such as tyrosinase and laccases, peroxidases,
and perhaps also catalases. We analysed the type polyphenoloxidases that are
involved in biosynthesis of BYF melanins. For that purpose we used substrates
of o-diphenoloxidases (EC 1.10.3.1.): 4-hydroxyphenyl-pyruvic acid,
L-β-phenyllactic acid, tyrosine, pyrocatechol, 3,4-dihydroxyphenylalanine
and homogentisic acid, as well as substrates of p-diphenoloxidases (EC
1.10.3.2.): syringaldazine, resorcinol, p-phenylenediamine, phloroglucinol,
guaiacol and pyrogallic acid. Fourteen strains of black yeasts originating
from different natural biotopes were investigated. The tested strains could be
divided into four groups based on their ability to produce dark pigments when
cultivated on aromatic substrates of o- and on p-diphenoloxidases. It was
established that syringaldazine, pyrogallic acid and 4-hydrophenyl-pyruvic
acid, β-phenyllactic acid optimally promote melanin biosynthesis. Average
intensity of pigmentation of all strains studied was minimal when guaiacol was
used as a substrate. The present investigation indicates that the melanisation
process may involve more enzymes and more substrates than those commonly
recognised. Black yeasts are likely to contain a multipotent
polyphenoloxidase
An adaptive phase II/III safety and efficacy randomized controlled trial of single day or three-day fixed-dose albendazole-ivermectin co-formulation versus albendazole for the treatment of Trichuris trichiura and other STH infections. ALIVE trial protocol
18 páginas, 2 tablas, 1 figura.Background: Soil-transmitted helminths (STH) are targeted for control through mass drug-administration campaigns to prevent morbidity affecting at-risk groups in endemic regions. Although broadly successful, the use of albendazole and mebendazole achieved variable progress, with deficiencies against Trichuris trichiura and a predictable low efficacy against Strongyloides stercoralis. Novel drug combinations offer a potential solution, providing they can be delivered safely and maintain efficacy against all STH species. Here we present the protocol of a clinical trial to evaluate a fixed-dose combination (FDC) tablet containing albendazole and ivermectin that will be compared against albendazole against STH. Methods: An adaptive phase II/III randomized controlled trial will be undertaken in STH endemic sites in Ethiopia, Kenya and Mozambique to evaluate an oral FDC of 400 mg albendazole and either 9- or 18 mg ivermectin. FDC will be administered as a single dose or single doses over three-consecutive days and assessed against a single dose of 400 mg albendazole. In the phase II trial, 126 T. trichiura-infected children weighting 15 to 45 kg will be treated in a dose-escalation manner to determine safety objectives. In the phase III trial, 1097 participants aged 5 to 18 years old infected with T. trichiura, hookworm and S. stercoralis will be recruited to determine safety and efficacy. The trial will be open-label with blinded outcome assessors. Cure rate measured 21-days after-treatment in duplicate Kato-Katz is the primary efficacy outcome. Secondary objectives include efficacy evaluation by quantitative polymerase chain reaction (PCR) as an outcome measurement, description of pharmacokinetic parameters, palatability and acceptability evaluations, and monitoring of anthelmintic resistance. Conclusions: This trial with registrational goals seeks to evaluate an innovative fixed-dose combination of albendazole and ivermectin co-formulated tablets, with the goal of providing an anthelmintic regimen with improved efficacy and spectrum of coverage against STH. ClinicalTrials.gov registration: NCT05124691 (18/11/2021)
Demonstration of a novel technique to measure two-photon exchange effects in elastic scattering
The discrepancy between proton electromagnetic form factors extracted using
unpolarized and polarized scattering data is believed to be a consequence of
two-photon exchange (TPE) effects. However, the calculations of TPE corrections
have significant model dependence, and there is limited direct experimental
evidence for such corrections. We present the results of a new experimental
technique for making direct comparisons, which has the potential to
make precise measurements over a broad range in and scattering angles. We
use the Jefferson Lab electron beam and the Hall B photon tagger to generate a
clean but untagged photon beam. The photon beam impinges on a converter foil to
generate a mixed beam of electrons, positrons, and photons. A chicane is used
to separate and recombine the electron and positron beams while the photon beam
is stopped by a photon blocker. This provides a combined electron and positron
beam, with energies from 0.5 to 3.2 GeV, which impinges on a liquid hydrogen
target. The large acceptance CLAS detector is used to identify and reconstruct
elastic scattering events, determining both the initial lepton energy and the
sign of the scattered lepton. The data were collected in two days with a
primary electron beam energy of only 3.3 GeV, limiting the data from this run
to smaller values of and scattering angle. Nonetheless, this measurement
yields a data sample for with statistics comparable to those of the
best previous measurements. We have shown that we can cleanly identify elastic
scattering events and correct for the difference in acceptance for electron and
positron scattering. The final ratio of positron to electron scattering:
for GeV and
Search for the glueball candidates f0(1500) and fJ(1710) in gamma gamma collisions
Data taken with the ALEPH detector at LEP1 have been used to search for gamma
gamma production of the glueball candidates f0(1500) and fJ(1710) via their
decay to pi+pi-. No signal is observed and upper limits to the product of gamma
gamma width and pi+pi- branching ratio of the f0(1500) and the fJ(1710) have
been measured to be Gamma_(gamma gamma -> f0(1500)). BR(f0(1500)->pi+pi-) <
0.31 keV and Gamma_(gamma gamma -> fJ(1710)). BR(fJ(1710)->pi+pi-) < 0.55 keV
at 95% confidence level.Comment: 10 pages, 3 figure
Heavy quarkonium: progress, puzzles, and opportunities
A golden age for heavy quarkonium physics dawned a decade ago, initiated by
the confluence of exciting advances in quantum chromodynamics (QCD) and an
explosion of related experimental activity. The early years of this period were
chronicled in the Quarkonium Working Group (QWG) CERN Yellow Report (YR) in
2004, which presented a comprehensive review of the status of the field at that
time and provided specific recommendations for further progress. However, the
broad spectrum of subsequent breakthroughs, surprises, and continuing puzzles
could only be partially anticipated. Since the release of the YR, the BESII
program concluded only to give birth to BESIII; the -factories and CLEO-c
flourished; quarkonium production and polarization measurements at HERA and the
Tevatron matured; and heavy-ion collisions at RHIC have opened a window on the
deconfinement regime. All these experiments leave legacies of quality,
precision, and unsolved mysteries for quarkonium physics, and therefore beg for
continuing investigations. The plethora of newly-found quarkonium-like states
unleashed a flood of theoretical investigations into new forms of matter such
as quark-gluon hybrids, mesonic molecules, and tetraquarks. Measurements of the
spectroscopy, decays, production, and in-medium behavior of c\bar{c}, b\bar{b},
and b\bar{c} bound states have been shown to validate some theoretical
approaches to QCD and highlight lack of quantitative success for others. The
intriguing details of quarkonium suppression in heavy-ion collisions that have
emerged from RHIC have elevated the importance of separating hot- and
cold-nuclear-matter effects in quark-gluon plasma studies. This review
systematically addresses all these matters and concludes by prioritizing
directions for ongoing and future efforts.Comment: 182 pages, 112 figures. Editors: N. Brambilla, S. Eidelman, B. K.
Heltsley, R. Vogt. Section Coordinators: G. T. Bodwin, E. Eichten, A. D.
Frawley, A. B. Meyer, R. E. Mitchell, V. Papadimitriou, P. Petreczky, A. A.
Petrov, P. Robbe, A. Vair
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