504 research outputs found
A mouse model of systemic lupus erythematosus responds better to soluble TACI than to soluble BAFFR, correlating with depletion of plasma cells.
The TNF family cytokines B-cell activating factor (BAFF) and a proliferation-inducing ligand (APRIL) support plasma cell survival. It is known that inhibitors of BAFF only (BAFFR-Fc) or BAFF and APRIL (TACI-Fc) administered early enough in an NZB/NZW F1 mouse model of systemic lupus erythematosus (SLE) ameliorate clinical outcomes, pointing to a pathogenic role of BAFF. In the present study, TACI-Fc administrated at a later stage of disease, after onset of autoimmunity, decreased the number of bone marrow plasma cells and slowed down further formation of autoantibodies. TACI-Fc prevented renal damage during a 12-week treatment period regardless of autoantibody levels, while BAFFR-Fc did not despite a similar BAFF-blocking activity in vivo. TACI-Fc also decreased established plasma cells in a T-dependent hapten/carrier immunization system better than single inhibitors of BAFF or APRIL, and sometimes better than combined single inhibitors with at least equivalent BAFF and APRIL inhibitory activities. These results indicate that TACI-Fc can prevent symptoms of renal damage in a mouse model of SLE when BAFFR-Fc cannot, and point to a plasticity of plasma cells for survival factors. Targeting plasma cells with TACI-Fc might be beneficial to prevent autoantibody-mediated damages in SLE
Amplitude analysis and the nature of the Zc(3900)
The microscopic nature of the XYZ states remains an unsettled topic. We show
how a thorough amplitude analysis of the data can help constraining models of
these states. Specifically, we consider the case of the Zc(3900) peak and
discuss possible scenarios of a QCD state, virtual state, or a kinematical
enhancement. We conclude that current data are not precise enough to
distinguish between these hypotheses, however, the method we propose, when
applied to the forthcoming high-statistics measurements should shed light on
the nature of these exotic enhancements.Comment: 14 pages, 10 figures, 3 tables. Version accepted for publication on
Phys.Lett.
On the and Photoproduction Beam Asymmetry at High Energies
We show that, in the Regge limit, beam asymmetries in and
photoproduction are sensitive to hidden strangeness components. Under
reasonable assumptions about the couplings we estimate the contribution of the
Regge pole, which is expected to be the dominant hidden strangeness
contribution. The ratio of the asymmetries in and production is
estimated to be close to unity in the forward region at the photon energy ~GeV, relevant for the upcoming
measurements at Jefferson Lab.Comment: 9 pages, 4 figure
Structure of Pion Photoproduction Amplitudes
We derive and apply the finite energy sum rules to pion photoproduction. We
evaluate the low energy part of the sum rules using several state-of-the-art
models. We show how the differences in the low energy side of the sum rules
might originate from different quantum number assignments of baryon resonances.
We interpret the observed features in the low energy side of the sum rules with
the expectation from Regge theory. Finally, we present a model, in terms of a
Regge-pole expansion, that matches the sum rules and the high-energy
observables.Comment: 19 pages, 15 figures and 4 table
Analyticity constraints for hadron amplitudes : going high to heal low energy issues
Analyticity constitutes a rigid constraint on hadron scattering amplitudes. This property is used to relate models in different energy regimes. Using meson photoproduction as a benchmark, we show how to test contemporary low-energy models directly against high-energy data. This method pinpoints deficiencies of the models and treads a path to further improvement. The implementation of this technique enables one to produce more stable and reliable partial waves for future use in hadron spectroscopy and new physics searches
Finite-Energy Sum Rules in Eta Photoproduction off the Nucleon
The reaction is studied in the high-energy regime
(with photon lab energies GeV) using
information from the resonance region through the use of finite-energy sum
rules (FESR). We illustrate how analyticity allows one to map the t-dependence
of the unknown Regge residue functions. We provide predictions for the energy
dependence of the beam asymmetry at high energies.Comment: Joint Physics Analysis Cente
The Primary Energy Dependence of Backscattered Electron Images Up to 100 keV
The backscattered electron coefficient is known to be primarily dependent on the atomic number of the sample. If the atomic number increases, the backscattered electron coefficient increases, which results in a higher intensity in the backscattered electron image. The dependence of the primary electron energy is somewhat more complicated. Using photographic material (with composition AgBr-AgI), it is seen that the contrast in the backscattered electron image increases with the primary electron energy. Using three independent methods, based on image analysis techniques, it is shown that the difference between the backscattered electron coefficient of AgBr and AgI increases with the primary electron energy in the range from 40 to 100 keV
Dual light and temperature responsive micrometer‐sized structural color actuators
Externally induced color- and shape-changes in micrometer-sized objects are of great interest in novel application fields such as optofluidics and microrobotics. In this work, light and temperature responsive micrometer-sized structural color actuators based on cholesteric liquid-crystalline (CLC) polymer particles are presented. The particles are synthesized by suspension polymerization using a reactive CLC monomer mixture having a light responsive azobenzene dye. The particles exhibit anisotropic spot-like and arc-like reflective colored domains ranging from red to blue. Electron microscopy reveals a multidirectional asymmetric arrangement of the cholesteric layers in the particles and numerical simulations elucidate the anisotropic optical properties. Upon light exposure, the particles show reversible asymmetric shape deformations combined with structural color changes. When the temperature is increased above the liquid crystal-isotropic phase transition temperature of the particles, the deformation is followed by a reduction or disappearance of the reflection. Such dual light and temperature responsive structural color actuators are interesting for a variety of micrometer-sized devices
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