QCD string and the Lorentz nature of confinement

We address the question of the Lorentz nature of the effective long-range interquark interaction generated by the QCD string with quarks at the ends. Studying the Dyson-Schwinger equation for a heavy-light quark-antiquark system, we demonstrate explicitly how a Lorentz-scalar interaction appears in the Diraclike equation for the light quark, as a consequence of chiral symmetry breaking. We argue that the effective interquark interaction in the Hamiltonian of the QCD string with quarks at the ends stems from this effective scalar interaction.Comment: LaTeX2e, 5 pages, uses jetpl.cls (included), to appear in JETP Let

QCD string in light-light and heavy-light mesons

The spectra of light-light and heavy-light mesons are calculated within the framework of the QCD string model, which is derived from QCD in the Wilson loop approach. Special attention is payed to the proper string dynamics that allows us to reproduce the straight-line Regge trajectories with the inverse slope being 2\pi\sigma for light-light and twice as small for heavy-light mesons. We use the model of the rotating QCD string with quarks at the ends to calculate the masses of several light-light mesons lying on the lowest Regge trajectories and compare them with the experimental data as well as with the predictions of other models. The masses of several low-lying orbitally and radially excited heavy--light states in the D, D_s, B, and B_s meson spectra are calculated in the einbein (auxiliary) field approach, which has proven to be rather accurate in various calculations for relativistic systems. The results for the spectra are compared with the experimental and recent lattice data. It is demonstrated that an account of the proper string dynamics encoded in the so-called string correction to the interquark interaction leads to an extra negative contribution to the masses of orbitally excited states that resolves the problem of the identification of the D(2637) state recently claimed by the DELPHI Collaboration. For the heavy-light system we extract the constants \bar\Lambda, \lambda_1, and \lambda_2 used in Heavy Quark Effective Theory (HQET) and find good agreement with the results of other approaches.Comment: RevTeX, 42 pages, 7 tables, 7 EPS figures, uses epsfig.sty, typos corrected, to appear in Phys.Rev.

Improvement of nutrient absorption may enhance systemic oxidative stress in cystic fibrosis patients.

BACKGROUND: The life expectancy of patients with cystic fibrosis (CF) is largely dependent on the pulmonary disease severity and progress. Malnutrition may be an important complicating factor in active and chronic lung disease. AIMS: The focus of this study was to investigate several inflammatory markers in pancreatic-insufficient CF patients with different enzyme treatment regimens. METHODS: CF patients with pancreatic insufficiency were examined at a time of symptomatic exacerbation of their lung disease. Group A (n = 11) regularly received microspheric enzymes. Group B (n = 8) were treated with enzymes during the hospitalization period only and demonstrated the presence of malnutrition. Inflammatory markers in the sputa (neutrophil elastase activity, interleukin-8 and tumour necrosis factor-alpha levels) and in the peripheral blood (plasma malondialdehyde (MDA), lymphocyte response to PHA, and the cell sensitivity to steroid suppression) have been investigated. RESULTS: During acute lung exacerbation, group B demonstrated reduced levels of lymphocyte proliferation. This parameter was normalized after combined antibiotic and pancreatic enzyme therapy. Simultaneously, plasma MDA in group B markedly increased following treatment. For this group, a significant positive linear association between values of plasma MDA and lymphocyte proliferation has been observed. For group A, neither the same correlation nor changes in MDA levels and lymphocyte proliferation have been found. CONCLUSIONS: Our data indicate that acute lung exacerbation in malnourished CF patients may be associated with alteration in T-lymphocyte activity. Adequate therapy normalizes lymphocyte function but results in systemic oxidative stress

Radiative Decays of Excited Vector Mesons

Radiative decays of the $1^3S_1$ radial and $1^3D_1$ orbital excitations of the $\rho$, $\omega$ and $\phi$ are calculated in the quark model, using wave functions obtained variationally from the Hamiltonian with standard quark-model parameters. The larger radiative widths should be measurable at new high-intensity facilities being proposed, and in some cases may be measurable in data from existing experiments. The radiative decays are a strong discriminator between the $1^3S_1$ and $1^3D_1$ excitations, and can also be used to provide unique information about the decay products.Comment: 23 pages, 6 figure

Functional integration of brain regions in children with speech disorders from the positions of sexual dimorphism and interhemispheric functional asymmetry

The aim of the study was to study the features of the functional integration of brain zones, taking into account the functional dominance of the hemispheres and sexual dimorphism in the process of prospective observation.В статье рассматриваются особенности функциональной интеграции зон мозга с учетом функциональной доминантности полушарий и полового диморфизма в процессе проспективного наблюдения

Inflammatory markers in cystic fibrosis patients with lung Pseudomonas aeruginosa infection.

Chronic endobronchial inflammation and bacterial infection are the main causes of morbidity and mortality in cystic fibrosis (CF), an autosomal recessive genetic disorder associated with improper function of chloride channels. Inflammation in CF lung is greatly amplified after Pseudomonas aeruginosa infection. In this study the relationship between P. aeruginosa status and inflammatory markers has been investigated. Seventeen CF children in acute lung exacerbation were examined. CF patients without P. aeruginosa infection were characterized by elevated activity of sputum elastase, reduced response of peripheral blood lymphocytes to PHA and significant resistance to the antiproliferative action of glucocorticoids. These parameters were normalized after antibiotic treatment. The patients with prolonged P. aeruginosa infection demonstrated extremely high levels of elastase activity and elevated amounts of sputum IL-8 and TNF-alpha. Although antibiotic treatment resulted in clinical improvement, it failed to suppress excessive immune response in the lung. The data indicate that CF patients with prolonged P. aeruginosa need the modified treatment, which should include immunomodulating drugs and protease inhibitors as well as antibacterial therapy

Magnetoelectric Effect and Spontaneous Polarization in HoFe3_3(BO3_3)4_4 and Ho0.5_{0.5}Nd0.5_{0.5}Fe3_3(BO3_3)4_4

The thermodynamic, magnetic, dielectric, and magnetoelectric properties of HoFe$_3$(BO$_3$)$_4$ and Ho$_{0.5}$Nd$_{0.5}$Fe$_3$(BO$_3$)$_4$ are investigated. Both compounds show a second order Ne\'{e}l transition above 30 K and a first order spin reorientation transition below 10 K. HoFe$_3$(BO$_3$)$_4$ develops a spontaneous electrical polarization below the Ne\'{e}l temperature (T$_N$) which is diminished in external magnetic fields. No magnetoelectric effect could be observed in HoFe$_3$(BO$_3$)$_4$. In contrast, the solid solution Ho$_{0.5}$Nd$_{0.5}$Fe$_3$(BO$_3$)$_4$ exhibits both, a spontaneous polarization below T$_N$ and a magnetoelectric effect at higher fields that extends to high temperatures. The superposition of spontaneous polarization, induced by the internal magnetic field in the ordered state, and the magnetoelectric polarizations due to the external field results in a complex behavior of the total polarization measured as a function of temperature and field.Comment: 12 pages, 15 figure

Comment on the proper QCD string dynamics in a heavy-light system

The string correction to the inter-quark interaction at large distances is derived using the field theory approach to a heavy-light quark-antiquark system in the modified Fock-Schwinger gauge.Comment: LaTeX2e, 6 pages, no figures, to appear in JETP Let

Baryon magnetic moments in the QCD string approach

Magnetic moments of baryons composed of light and strange quarks are computed for the first time through the only parameter of the model -- string tension $\sigma$. Resulting theoretical values differ from the experimental ones typically by about 10%.Comment: LaTeX, 13 pages; misprints are correcte