216 research outputs found
Dynamical Model of Coherent Pion Production in Neutrino-Nucleus Scattering
We study coherent pion production in neutrino-nucleus scattering in the
energy region relevant to neutrino oscillation experiments of current interest.
Our approach is based on a combined use of the Sato-Lee model of electroweak
pion production on a nucleon and the Delta-hole model of pion-nucleus
reactions. Thus we develop a model which describes pion-nucleus scattering and
electroweak coherent pion production in a unified manner. Numerical
calculations are carried out for the case of the 12C target. All the free
parameters in our model are fixed by fitting to both total and elastic
differential cross sections for pi-12C scattering. Then we demonstrate the
reliability of our approach by confronting our prediction for the coherent pion
photo-productions with data. Finally, we calculate total and differential cross
sections for neutrino-induced coherent pion production, and some of the results
are (will be) compared with the recent (forthcoming) data from K2K, SciBooNE
and MiniBooNE. We also study effect of the non-locality of the
Delta-propagation in the nucleus, and compare the elementary amplitudes used in
different microscopic calculations.Comment: 42 pages, 21 figure
Defining forgiveness: Christian clergy and general population perspectives.
The lack of any consensual definition of forgiveness is a serious weakness in the research literature (McCullough, Pargament & Thoresen, 2000). As forgiveness is at the core of Christianity, this study returns to the Christian source of the concept to explore the meaning of forgiveness for practicing Christian clergy. Comparisons are made with a general population sample and social science definitions of forgiveness to ensure that a shared meaning of forgiveness is articulated. Anglican and Roman Catholic clergy (N = 209) and a general population sample (N = 159) completed a postal questionnaire about forgiveness. There is agreement on the existence of individual differences in forgiveness. Clergy and the general population perceive reconciliation as necessary for forgiveness while there is no consensus within psychology. The clergy suggests that forgiveness is limitless and that repentance is unnecessary while the general population suggests that there are limits and that repentance is necessary. Psychological definitions do not conceptualize repentance as necessary for forgiveness and the question of limits has not been addressed although within therapy the implicit assumption is that forgiveness is limitless.</p
Molecular Tracers of the Central 12 pc of the Galactic Center
We have used the BIMA array to image the Galactic Center with a 19-pointing
mosaic in HCN(1-0), HCO+(1-0), and H 42-alpha emission with 5 km/s velocity
resolution and 13'' x 4'' angular resolution. The 5' field includes the
circumnuclear ring (CND) and parts of the 20 and 50 km/s clouds. HCN(1-0) and
HCO+ trace the CND and nearby giant molecular clouds while the H 42-alpha
emission traces the ionized gas in Sgr A West. We find that the CND has a
definite outer edge in HCN and HCO+ emission at ~45'' radius and appears to be
composed of two or three distinct streams of molecular gas rotating around the
nucleus. Outside the CND, HCN and HCO+ trace dense clumps of high-velocity gas
in addition to optically thick emission from the 20 and 50 km/s clouds. A
molecular ridge of compressed gas and dust, traced in NH3 emission and
self-absorbed HCN and HCO+, wraps around the eastern edge of Sgr A East. Just
inside this ridge are several arcs of gas which have been accelerated by the
impact of Sgr A East with the 50 km/s cloud. HCN and HCO+ emission trace the
extension of the northern arm of Sgr A West which appears to be an independent
stream of neutral and ionized gas and dust originating outside the CND. Broad
line widths and OH maser emission mark the intersection of the northern arm and
the CND. Comparison to previous NH3 and 1.2mm dust observations shows that HCN
and HCO+ preferentially trace the CND and are weaker tracers of the GMCs than
NH3 and dust. We discuss possible scenarios for the emission mechanisms and
environment at the Galactic center which could explain the differences in these
images.Comment: 24 pages, including 17 figures; to appear in The Astrophysical
Journa
The SARS-CoV-2 spike protein alters barrier function in 2D static and 3D microfluidic in-vitro models of the human blood-brain barrier.
As researchers across the globe have focused their attention on understanding SARS-CoV-2, the picture that is emerging is that of a virus that has serious effects on the vasculature in multiple organ systems including the cerebral vasculature. Observed effects on the central nervous system include neurological symptoms (headache, nausea, dizziness), fatal microclot formation and in rare cases encephalitis. However, our understanding of how the virus causes these mild to severe neurological symptoms and how the cerebral vasculature is impacted remains unclear. Thus, the results presented in this report explored whether deleterious outcomes from the SARS-CoV-2 viral spike protein on primary human brain microvascular endothelial cells (hBMVECs) could be observed. The spike protein, which plays a key role in receptor recognition, is formed by the S1 subunit containing a receptor binding domain (RBD) and the S2 subunit. First, using postmortem brain tissue, we show that the angiotensin converting enzyme 2 or ACE2 (a known binding target for the SARS-CoV-2 spike protein), is ubiquitously expressed throughout various vessel calibers in the frontal cortex. Moreover, ACE2 expression was upregulated in cases of hypertension and dementia. ACE2 was also detectable in primary hBMVECs maintained under cell culture conditions. Analysis of cell viability revealed that neither the S1, S2 or a truncated form of the S1 containing only the RBD had minimal effects on hBMVEC viability within a 48 h exposure window. Introduction of spike proteins to invitro models of the blood-brain barrier (BBB) showed significant changes to barrier properties. Key to our findings is the demonstration that S1 promotes loss of barrier integrity in an advanced 3D microfluidic model of the human BBB, a platform that more closely resembles the physiological conditions at this CNS interface. Evidence provided suggests that the SARS-CoV-2 spike proteins trigger a pro-inflammatory response on brain endothelial cells that may contribute to an altered state of BBB function. Together, these results are the first to show the direct impact that the SARS-CoV-2 spike protein could have on brain endothelial cells; thereby offering a plausible explanation for the neurological consequences seen in COVID-19 patients
A Search for Electron Antineutrino Appearance at the 1 Scale
The MiniBooNE Collaboration reports initial results from a search for
oscillations. A signal-blind analysis was
performed using a data sample corresponding to protons on
target. The data are consistent with background prediction across the full
range of neutrino energy reconstructed assuming quasielastic scattering, MeV: 144 electron-like events have been observed in this
energy range, compared to an expectation of events. No
significant excess of events has been observed, both at low energy, 200-475
MeV, and at high energy, 475-1250 MeV. The data are inconclusive with respect
to antineutrino oscillations suggested by data from the Liquid Scintillator
Neutrino Detector at Los Alamos National Laboratory.Comment: 5 pages, 3 figures, 2 table
Measurement of inclusive charged current interactions on carbon in a few-GeV neutrino beam
The SciBooNE Collaboration reports a measurement of inclusive charged current
interactions of muon neutrinos on carbon with an average energy of 0.8 GeV
using the Fermilab Booster Neutrino Beam. We compare our measurement with two
neutrino interaction simulations: NEUT and NUANCE. The charged current
interaction rates (product of flux and cross section) are extracted by fitting
the muon kinematics, with a precision of 6-15% for the energy dependent and 3%
for the energy integrated analyses. We also extract CC inclusive interaction
cross sections from the observed rates, with a precision of 10-30% for the
energy dependent and 8% for the energy integrated analyses. This is the first
measurement of the CC inclusive cross section on carbon around 1 GeV. These
results can be used to convert previous SciBooNE cross section ratio
measurements to absolute cross section values.Comment: 21 pages, 16 figures. Accepted by Phys. Rev. D. Minor revisions to
match the accepted versio
Measurement of the \nu_\mu charged current \pi^+ to quasi-elastic cross section ratio on mineral oil in a 0.8 GeV neutrino beam
Using high statistics samples of charged current interactions,
MiniBooNE reports a measurement of the single charged pion production to
quasi-elastic cross section ratio on mineral oil (CH), both with and
without corrections for hadron re-interactions in the target nucleus. The
result is provided as a function of neutrino energy in the range 0.4 GeV 2.4 GeV with 11% precision in the region of highest statistics. The
results are consistent with previous measurements and the prediction from
historical neutrino calculations.Comment: 4 pages, 2 figure
A Gene-Phenotype Network for the Laboratory Mouse and Its Implications for Systematic Phenotyping
The laboratory mouse is the pre-eminent model organism for the dissection of human disease pathways. With the advent of a comprehensive panel of gene knockouts, projects to characterise the phenotypes of all knockout lines are being initiated. The range of genotype-phenotype associations can be represented using the Mammalian Phenotype ontology. Using publicly available data annotated with this ontology we have constructed gene and phenotype networks representing these associations. These networks show a scale-free, hierarchical and modular character and community structure. They also exhibit enrichment for gene coexpression, protein-protein interactions and Gene Ontology annotation similarity. Close association between gene communities and some high-level ontology terms suggests that systematic phenotyping can provide a direct insight into underlying pathways. However some phenotypes are distributed more diffusely across gene networks, likely reflecting the pleiotropic roles of many genes. Phenotype communities show a many-to-many relationship to human disease communities, but stronger overlap at more granular levels of description. This may suggest that systematic phenotyping projects should aim for high granularity annotations to maximise their relevance to human disease
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