1,459 research outputs found
Hyperbolicity of scalar-tensor theories of gravity
Two first order strongly hyperbolic formulations of scalar-tensor theories of gravity allowing nonminimal couplings (Jordan frame) are presented along the lines of the 3+1 decomposition of spacetime. One is based on the Bona-Massó formulation, while the other one employs a conformal decomposition similar to that of Baumgarte-Shapiro-Shibata-Nakamura. A modified Bona-Massó slicing condition adapted to the scalar-tensor theory is proposed for the analysis. This study confirms that the scalar-tensor theory has a well-posed Cauchy problem even when formulated in the Jordan frame
Evidence for HIV-1 cure after CCR5Δ32/Δ32 allogeneic haemopoietic stem-cell transplantation 30 months post analytical treatment interruption: a case report
BACKGROUND: The London patient (participant 36 in the IciStem cohort) underwent allogeneic stem-cell transplantation with cells that did not express CCR5 (CCR5Δ32/Δ32); remission was reported at 18 months after analytical treatment interruption (ATI). Here, we present longer term data for this patient (up to 30 months after ATI), including sampling from diverse HIV-1 reservoir sites. METHODS: We used ultrasensitive viral load assays of plasma, semen, and cerebrospinal fluid (CSF) samples to detect HIV-1 RNA. In gut biopsy samples and lymph-node tissue, cell-copy number and total HIV-1 DNA levels were quantified in multiple replicates, using droplet digital PCR (ddPCR) and quantitative real-time PCR. We also analysed the presence of intact proviral DNA using multiplex ddPCR targeting the packaging signal (ψ) and envelope (env). We did intracellular cytokine staining to measure HIV-1-specific T-cell responses. We used low-sensitive and low-avidity antibody assays to measure the humoral response to HIV-1. We predicted the probability of rebound using a mathematical model and inference approach. FINDINGS: HIV-1 viral load in plasma remained undetectable in the London patient up to 30 months (last tested on March 4, 2020), using an assay with a detection limit of 1 copy per mL. The patient's CD4 count was 430 cells per μL (23·5% of total T cells) at 28 months. A very low-level positive signal for HIV-1 DNA was recorded in peripheral CD4 memory cells at 28 months. The viral load in semen was undetectable in both plasma (lower limit of detection [LLD] <12 copies per mL) and cells (LLD 10 copies per 106 cells) at 21 months. CSF was within normal parameters at 25 months, with HIV-1 RNA below the detection limit (LLD 1 copy per mL). HIV-1 DNA by ddPCR was negative in rectum, caecum, and sigmoid colon and terminal ileum tissue samples at 22 months. Lymph-node tissue from axilla was positive for the long-terminal repeat (33 copies per 106 cells) and env (26·1 copies per 106 cells), negative for ψ and integrase, and negative by the intact proviral DNA assay, at 27 months. HIV-1-specific CD4 and CD8 T-cell responses have remained absent at 27 months. Low-avidity Env antibodies have continued to decline. Mathematical modelling suggests that the probability of remission for life (cure) is 98% in the context of 80% donor chimerism in total HIV target cells and greater than 99% probability of remission for life with 90% donor chimerism. INTERPRETATION: The London patient has been in HIV-1 remission for 30 months with no detectable replication-competent virus in blood, CSF, intestinal tissue, or lymphoid tissue. Donor chimerism has been maintained at 99% in peripheral T cells. We propose that these findings represent HIV-1 cure. FUNDING: Wellcome Trust and amfAR (American Foundation for AIDS Research)
Intraoperative radiotherapy electron boost followed by moderate doses of external beam radiotherapy in resected soft-tissue sarcoma of the extremities
To analyze the patterns of failure and the toxicity profile of
intraoperative electron beam radiotherapy (IOERT) after resection of soft tissue
sarcomas of the extremities (STS). PATIENTS AND METHODS: Forty-five patients with
extremity STS were treated with IOERT and moderate-dose postoperative
radiotherapy (45-50 Gy). Twenty-six patients were treated for primary disease
(PD) and 19 patients for an isolated recurrence (ILR). Tumor size was >5 cm
(maximum diameter) in 36 patients (80%), and high-grade histology in PD patients
was present in 14 patients (54%). In nine patients, IOERT was used alone, due to
previous irradiation or patient refusal. Chemotherapy (neoadjuvant and/or
adjuvant) was mainly given to high-grade tumors. RESULTS: Nine patients relapsed
in the extremity (20%), and 12 patients in distant sites (28%). Actuarial local
control at 5 years was 88% for patients with negative/close margins and 57% for
patients presenting positive margins (P=0.04). Five patients (11%) developed
neuropathy associated with the treatment. Extremity preservation was achieved in
40 patients (88%). With a median follow-up of 93 months (range: 27-143 months)
for the patients at risk, 25 patients remain alive (a 7-year actuarial survival
rate of 75% for PD and 47% for ILR; P=0.01). CONCLUSIONS: IOERT combined with
moderate doses of external beam irradiation yields high local control and
extremity preservation rates in resected extremity STS. Peripheral nerves in the
IOERT field are dose-limiting structures requiring a dose compromise in the IOERT
component to avoid severe neurological damage
EcoCyc: A comprehensive view of Escherichia coli biology
EcoCyc (http://EcoCyc.org) provides a comprehensive encyclopedia of Escherichia coli biology. EcoCyc integrates information about the genome, genes and gene products; the metabolic network; and the regulatory network of E. coli. Recent EcoCyc developments include a new initiative to represent and curate all types of E. coli regulatory processes such as attenuation and regulation by small RNAs. EcoCyc has started to curate Gene Ontology (GO) terms for E. coli and has made a dataset of E. coli GO terms available through the GO Web site. The curation and visualization of electron transfer processes has been significantly improved. Other software and Web site enhancements include the addition of tracks to the EcoCyc genome browser, in particular a type of track designed for the display of ChIP-chip datasets, and the development of a comparative genome browser. A new Genome Omics Viewer enables users to paint omics datasets onto the full E. coli genome for analysis. A new advanced query page guides users in interactively constructing complex database queries against EcoCyc. A Macintosh version of EcoCyc is now available. A series of Webinars is available to instruct users in the use of EcoCyc
Measurement of the (90,91,92,93,94,96)Zr(n,gamma) and (139)La(n,gamma) cross sections at n_TOF
Open AccessNeutron capture cross sections of Zr and La isotopes have important implications in the field of nuclear astrophysics as well as in the nuclear technology. In particular the Zr isotopes play a key role for the determination of the neutron density in the He burning zone of the Red Giant star, while the (139)La is important to monitor the s-process abundances from Ba up to Ph. Zr is also largely used as structural materials of traditional and advanced nuclear reactors. The nuclear resonance parameters and the cross section of (90,91,92,93,94,96)Zr and (139)La have been measured at the n_TOF facility at CERN. Based on these data the capture resonance strength and the Maxwellian-averaged cross section were calculated
Measurement of the neutron capture cross section of the s-only isotope 204Pb from 1 eV to 440 keV
The neutron capture cross section of 204Pb has been measured at the CERN
n_TOF installation with high resolution in the energy range from 1 eV to 440
keV. An R-matrix analysis of the resolved resonance region, between 1 eV and
100 keV, was carried out using the SAMMY code. In the interval between 100 keV
and 440 keV we report the average capture cross section. The background in the
entire neutron energy range could be reliably determined from the measurement
of a 208Pb sample. Other systematic effects in this measurement could be
investigated and precisely corrected by means of detailed Monte Carlo
simulations. We obtain a Maxwellian average capture cross section for 204Pb at
kT=30 keV of 79(3) mb, in agreement with previous experiments. However our
cross section at kT=5 keV is about 35% larger than the values reported so far.
The implications of the new cross section for the s-process abundance
contributions in the Pb/Bi region are discussed.Comment: 8 pages, 3 figures, article submitted to Phys. Rev.
New measurement of neutron capture resonances of 209Bi
The neutron capture cross section of Bi209 has been measured at the CERN n
TOF facility by employing the pulse-height-weighting technique. Improvements
over previous measurements are mainly because of an optimized detection system,
which led to a practically negligible neutron sensitivity. Additional
experimental sources of systematic error, such as the electronic threshold in
the detectors, summing of gamma-rays, internal electron conversion, and the
isomeric state in bismuth, have been taken into account. Gamma-ray absorption
effects inside the sample have been corrected by employing a nonpolynomial
weighting function. Because Bi209 is the last stable isotope in the reaction
path of the stellar s-process, the Maxwellian averaged capture cross section is
important for the recycling of the reaction flow by alpha-decays. In the
relevant stellar range of thermal energies between kT=5 and 8 keV our new
capture rate is about 16% higher than the presently accepted value used for
nucleosynthesis calculations. At this low temperature an important part of the
heavy Pb-Bi isotopes are supposed to be synthesized by the s-process in the He
shells of low mass, thermally pulsing asymptotic giant branch stars. With the
improved set of cross sections we obtain an s-process fraction of 19(3)% of the
solar bismuth abundance, resulting in an r-process residual of 81(3)%. The
present (n,gamma) cross-section measurement is also of relevance for the design
of accelerator driven systems based on a liquid metal Pb/Bi spallation target.Comment: 10 pages, 5figures, recently published in Phys. Rev.
Near-threshold Photoproduction of Phi Mesons from Deuterium
We report the first measurement of the differential cross section on
-meson photoproduction from deuterium near the production threshold for a
proton using the CLAS detector and a tagged-photon beam in Hall B at Jefferson
Lab. The measurement was carried out by a triple coincidence detection of a
proton, and near the theoretical production threshold of 1.57 GeV.
The extracted differential cross sections for the initial
photon energy from 1.65-1.75 GeV are consistent with predictions based on a
quasifree mechanism. This experiment establishes a baseline for a future
experimental search for an exotic -N bound state from heavier nuclear
targets utilizing subthreshold/near-threshold production of mesons
Absorption of the and Mesons in Nuclei
Due to their long lifetimes, the and mesons are the ideal
candidates for the study of possible modifications of the in-medium
meson-nucleon interaction through their absorption inside the nucleus. During
the E01-112 experiment at the Thomas Jefferson National Accelerator Facility,
the mesons were photoproduced from H, C, Ti, Fe, and Pb targets. This
paper reports the first measurement of the ratio of nuclear transparencies for
the channel. The ratios indicate larger in-medium widths compared
with what have been reported in other reaction channels.Comment: 6 pages, 4 figure
Measurements of high-energy neutron-induced fission of (nat)Pb and (209)Bi
This is an Open Access article distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution-Noncommercial License 3.0, which permits unrestricted use, distribution, and reproduction in any noncommercial medium, provided the original work is properly citedThe CERN Neutron Time-Of-Flight (n_TOF) facility is well suited to measure low cross sections as those of neutron-induced fission in subactinides. The cross section ratios of (nat)Pb and (209)Bi relative to (235)U and (238)U were measured using PPAC detectors and a fragment coincidence method that allows us to identify the fission events. The present experiment provides first results for neutron-induced fission up to 1 GeV. Good agreement is found with previous experimental data below 200 MeV. The comparison with proton-induced fission indicates that the limiting regime where neutron-induced and proton-induced fission reach equal cross sections is close to 1 GeV
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