56 research outputs found
A model study of quark number susceptibility at finite temperature beyond rainbow-ladder approximation
In this paper we calculate the quark number susceptibility (QNS) of QCD at
finite temperature under the rainbow-ladder and Ball-Chiu type truncation
schemes of the Dyson-Schwinger approach. It is found that the difference
between the result of the rainbow-ladder truncation and that of Ball-Chiu type
truncation is small, which shows that the dressing effect of the quark-gluon
vertex on the QNS at finite temperature is small. It is also found that at low
temperature the quark number susceptibility is nearly zero and it increases
sharply when the temperature approaches the chiral phase transition point. A
comparison between the result in the present paper with those in the literature
is made.Comment: 17 pages, 6 figure
Impact of carbon sources on growth and oxalate synthesis by the phytopathogenic fungus Sclerotinia sclerotiorum
Plasmodium falciparum Adhesion on Human Brain Microvascular Endothelial Cells Involves Transmigration-Like Cup Formation and Induces Opening of Intercellular Junctions
Cerebral malaria, a major cause of death during malaria infection, is characterised by the sequestration of infected red blood cells (IRBC) in brain microvessels. Most of the molecules implicated in the adhesion of IRBC on endothelial cells (EC) are already described; however, the structure of the IRBC/EC junction and the impact of this adhesion on the EC are poorly understood. We analysed this interaction using human brain microvascular EC monolayers co-cultured with IRBC. Our study demonstrates the transfer of material from the IRBC to the brain EC plasma membrane in a trogocytosis-like process, followed by a TNF-enhanced IRBC engulfing process. Upon IRBC/EC binding, parasite antigens are transferred to early endosomes in the EC, in a cytoskeleton-dependent process. This is associated with the opening of the intercellular junctions. The transfer of IRBC antigens can thus transform EC into a target for the immune response and contribute to the profound EC alterations, including peri-vascular oedema, associated with cerebral malaria
Clinical chronobiology: a timely consideration in critical care medicine
A fundamental aspect of human physiology is its cyclical nature over a 24-h period, a feature conserved across most life on Earth. Organisms compartmentalise processes with respect to time in order to promote survival, in a manner that mirrors the rotation of the planet and accompanying diurnal cycles of light and darkness. The influence of circadian rhythms can no longer be overlooked in clinical settings; this review provides intensivists with an up-to-date understanding of the burgeoning field of chronobiology, and suggests ways to incorporate these concepts into daily practice to improve patient outcomes. We outline the function of molecular clocks in remote tissues, which adjust cellular and global physiological function according to the time of day, and the potential clinical advantages to keeping in time with them. We highlight the consequences of "chronopathology", when this harmony is lost, and the risk factors for this condition in critically ill patients. We introduce the concept of "chronofitness" as a new target in the treatment of critical illness: preserving the internal synchronisation of clocks in different tissues, as well as external synchronisation with the environment. We describe methods for monitoring circadian rhythms in a clinical setting, and how this technology may be used for identifying optimal time windows for interventions, or to alert the physician to a critical deterioration of circadian rhythmicity. We suggest a chronobiological approach to critical illness, involving multicomponent strategies to promote chronofitness (chronobundles), and further investment in the development of personalised, time-based treatment for critically ill patients
The Dirac form factor predicts the Pauli form factor in the Endpoint Model
We compute the momentum-transfer dependence of the proton Pauli form factor
in the endpoint overlap model. We find the model correctly reproduces
the scaling of the ratio of with the Dirac Form factor observed
at the Jefferson Laboratory. The calculation uses the leading-power, leading
twist Dirac structure of the quark light-cone wave function, and the same
endpoint dependence previously determined from the Dirac form factor .
There are no parameters and no adjustable functions in the endpoint model's
prediction for . The model's predicted ratio
is quite insensitive to the endpoint wave function, which explains why the
observed ratio scales like down to rather low momentum transfers. The
endpoint model appears to be the only comprehensive model consistent with all
form factor information as well as reproducing fixed-angle proton-proton
scattering at large momentum transfer. Any one of the processes is capable of
predicting the others.Comment: 12 pages, 3 figure
QCD and strongly coupled gauge theories : challenges and perspectives
We highlight the progress, current status, and open challenges of QCD-driven physics, in theory and in experiment. We discuss how the strong interaction is intimately connected to a broad sweep of physical problems, in settings ranging from astrophysics and cosmology to strongly coupled, complex systems in particle and condensed-matter physics, as well as to searches for physics beyond the Standard Model. We also discuss how success in describing the strong interaction impacts other fields, and, in turn, how such subjects can impact studies of the strong interaction. In the course of the work we offer a perspective on the many research streams which flow into and out of QCD, as well as a vision for future developments.Peer reviewe
Varying constants, Gravitation and Cosmology
Fundamental constants are a cornerstone of our physical laws. Any constant
varying in space and/or time would reflect the existence of an almost massless
field that couples to matter. This will induce a violation of the universality
of free fall. It is thus of utmost importance for our understanding of gravity
and of the domain of validity of general relativity to test for their
constancy. We thus detail the relations between the constants, the tests of the
local position invariance and of the universality of free fall. We then review
the main experimental and observational constraints that have been obtained
from atomic clocks, the Oklo phenomenon, Solar system observations, meteorites
dating, quasar absorption spectra, stellar physics, pulsar timing, the cosmic
microwave background and big bang nucleosynthesis. At each step we describe the
basics of each system, its dependence with respect to the constants, the known
systematic effects and the most recent constraints that have been obtained. We
then describe the main theoretical frameworks in which the low-energy constants
may actually be varying and we focus on the unification mechanisms and the
relations between the variation of different constants. To finish, we discuss
the more speculative possibility of understanding their numerical values and
the apparent fine-tuning that they confront us with.Comment: 145 pages, 10 figures, Review for Living Reviews in Relativit
Scintillation light detection in the 6-m drift-length ProtoDUNE Dual Phase liquid argon TPC
DUNE is a dual-site experiment for long-baseline neutrino oscillation studies, neutrino astrophysics and nucleon decay searches. ProtoDUNE Dual Phase (DP) is a 6Â Ă Â 6Â Ă Â 6Â m 3 liquid argon time-projection-chamber (LArTPC) that recorded cosmic-muon data at the CERN Neutrino Platform in 2019-2020 as a prototype of the DUNE Far Detector. Charged particles propagating through the LArTPC produce ionization and scintillation light. The scintillation light signal in these detectors can provide the trigger for non-beam events. In addition, it adds precise timing capabilities and improves the calorimetry measurements. In ProtoDUNE-DP, scintillation and electroluminescence light produced by cosmic muons in the LArTPC is collected by photomultiplier tubes placed up to 7Â m away from the ionizing track. In this paper, the ProtoDUNE-DP photon detection system performance is evaluated with a particular focus on the different wavelength shifters, such as PEN and TPB, and the use of Xe-doped LAr, considering its future use in giant LArTPCs. The scintillation light production and propagation processes are analyzed and a comparison of simulation to data is performed, improving understanding of the liquid argon properties
Neuroprotective effects of intrastriatal injection of rapamycin in a mouse model of excitotoxicity induced by quinolinic acid
ââWhy me, why now?â Using clinical immunology and epidemiology to explain who gets nontuberculous mycobacterial infection
- âŠ