Approaching Conformality with Ten Flavors

We present first results for lattice simulations, on a single volume, of the low-lying spectrum of an SU(3) Yang-Mills gauge theory with ten light fermions in the fundamental representation. Fits to the fermion mass dependence of various observables are found to be globally consistent with the hypothesis that this theory is within or just outside the strongly-coupled edge of the conformal window, with mass anomalous dimension consistent with 1 over the range of scales simulated. We stress that we cannot rule out the possibility of spontaneous chiral-symmetry breaking at scales well below our infrared cutoff. We discuss important systematic effects, including finite-volume corrections, and consider directions for future improvement.Comment: 7 pages, 3 figures. Submitted to Physical Review Letters. v2: corrected global fits. v3: corrected estimation of confidence interval

Analyticity, Unitarity and One-loop Graviton Corrections to Compton Scattering

We compute spin-flip cross section for graviton photoproduction on a spin-1/2 target of finite mass. Using this tree-level result, we find one-loop graviton correction to the spin-flip low-energy forward Compton scattering amplitude by using Gerasimov-Drell-Hearn sum rule. We show that this result agrees with the corresponding perturbative computations, implying the validity of the sum rule at one-loop level, contrary to the previous claims. We discuss possible effects from the black hole production and string Regge trajectory exchange at very high energies. These effects seem to soften the UV divergence present at one-loop graviton level. Finally, we discuss the relation of these observations with the models that involve extra dimensions.Comment: 15 pages, 3 figure

Density of Gr1-positive myeloid precursor cells, p-STAT3 expression and gene expression pattern in canine mammary cancer metastasis

The very recent studies on human and mice models have indicated an important role of myeloid precursor cells (progenitors or not fully differentiated cells that express the Gr1 antigen also called Gr1-positive myeloid suppressor cells) in the tumor progression and metastasis. They are thought to suppress the immune system and promote angiogenesis via Signal transducer and activator of transcription 3 (STAT3) activation. As of now there is no data available on the correlation of Gr1-positive cell number, phosphorylated STAT3 (p-STAT3) expression and cancer ability to metastasis. Thus, we counted the myeloid precursor cell number and analyzed p-STAT3 expression in 50 canine mammary tumors that gave local/distant metastases and did not metastasize. We showed that the number of Gr1-positive cells and p-STAT3 expression are significantly higher (p < 0.001) in the metastatic tumors than in the non-metastatic ones. We also observed higher expression of p-STAT3 in the canine mammary cancer cell lines with metastatic potential than in other cell lines (p < 0.001). Moreover, the number of myeloid precursors and p-STAT3 expression in metastatic tumors correlate strongly. The tumor infiltrating myeloid precursor cells may invigorate the STAT3 activity (probably via vascular endothelial growth factor – VEGF) that contributes to the tumor angiogenesis and furthermore tumor`s ability to metastasize. The analysis of gene expression in canine mammary cancer cell lines with metastatic potential indicated that semaphorin 3B (SEMA3B) and neuropilin receptors (NRP) may also be important elements in this process. Thus, we discuss the possible interactions within the tumor that may be required for cancer metastatis

Systems biology of platelet-vessel wall interactions

Platelets are small, anucleated cells that participate in primary hemostasis by forming a hemostatic plug at the site of a blood vessel's breach, preventing blood loss. However, hemostatic events can lead to excessive thrombosis, resulting in life-threatening strokes, emboli, or infarction. Development of multi-scale models coupling processes at several scales and running predictive model simulations on powerful computer clusters can help interdisciplinary groups of researchers to suggest and test new patient-specific treatment strategies

Polyurea-coated glass-fibre-reinforced laminate under high-speed impact: experimental study

One of the promising methods to increase the resistance of polymer-matrix composite materials to impact damage is the use of protective coatings. In this work, the effect of polyurea coating on impact-performance parameters of a woven glass-fibre-reinforced laminate is studied. The study was performed on a specially developed ballistic experimental test rig employing a pneumatic gun. Eleven polymer composite targets with dimensions 200 mm x 300 mm x 8 mm were impacted orthogonally with a steel projectile with 23.8 mm diameter and weight 54.7 g in the range of the impact speed up to 150 m/s. A comparative assessment of the ballistic limit for targets with a 1.2 mm protective coating on the front and rear faces of the target, as well as for samples without any protective coating, was performed. The impact process was captured using two high-speed cameras for filming the front and top views at 25,000 frames per second. Experimental data on the ballistic limit for uncoated and polyurea coated fiberglass plates on the front and back surfaces were obtained. It was shown that 1.2 mm thick coating on the face surface increases the ballistic limit by 20%. The nature of the damage of the GRP base plate and coating has been analyzed. The obtained data can be used for validation of numerical models of ballistic impacts of polyurea-coated laminates

Effect of high-dose intravenous vitamin C on inflammation in cancer patients

<p>Abstract</p> <p>Background</p> <p>An inflammatory component is present in the microenvironment of most neoplastic tissues. Inflammation and elevated C-reactive protein (CRP) are associated with poor prognosis and decreased survival in many types of cancer.</p> <p>Vitamin C has been suggested as having both a preventative and therapeutic role in a number of pathologies when administered at much higher-than-recommended dietary allowance levels.</p> <p>Since in vitro studies demonstrated inhibition of pro-inflammatory pathways by millimolar concentrations of vitamin C, we decided to analyze the effects of high dose IVC therapy in suppression of inflammation in cancer patients.</p> <p>Methods</p> <p>45 patients with prostate cancer, breast cancer, bladder cancer, pancreatic cancer, lung cancer, thyroid cancer, skin cancer and B-cell lymphoma were treated at the Riordan Clinic by high doses of vitamin C (7.5 g -50 g) after standard treatments by conventional methods.</p> <p>CRP and tumor markers were measured in serum or heparin-plasma as a routine analysis. In addition, serum samples were collected before and after the IVCs for the cytokine kit tests.</p> <p>Results</p> <p>According to our data positive response to treatment, which was demonstrated by measurements of C- reactive protein, was found in 75% of patients and progression of the inflammation in 25% of patients. IVC treatments on all aggressive stage cancer patients showed the poor response of treatment.</p> <p>There was correlation between tumor markers (PSA, CEA, CA27.29 and CA15-3) and changes in the levels of C-reactive protein.</p> <p>Our test of the effect of IVC on pro-inflammatory cytokines demonstrated that inflammation cytokines IL-1α, IL-2, IL-8, TNF-α, chemokine eotaxin and CRP were reduced significantly after treatments.</p> <p>Conclusions</p> <p>The high dose intravenous ascorbic acid therapy affects C-reactive protein levels and pro-inflammation cytokines in cancer patients. In our study, we found that modulation of inflammation by IVC correlated with decreases in tumor marker levels.</p> <p>In summary, our data support the hypothesis that high dose intravenous ascorbate treatments may reduce inflammation in cancer patients. Our results suggest that further investigations into the use of IVC to reduce inflammation in diseases where inflammation is relevant are warranted.</p