92 research outputs found
Extracting Br(omega->pi^+ pi^-) from the Time-like Pion Form-factor
We extract the G-parity-violating branching ratio Br(omega->pi^+ pi^-) from
the effective rho-omega mixing matrix element Pi_{rho omega}(s), determined
from e^+e^- -> pi^+ pi^- data. The omega->pi^+ pi^- partial width can be
determined either from the time-like pion form factor or through the constraint
that the mixed physical propagator D_{rho omega}^{mu nu}(s) possesses no poles.
The two procedures are inequivalent in practice, and we show why the first is
preferred, to find finally Br(omega->pi^+ pi^-) = 1.9 +/- 0.3%.Comment: 12 pages (published version
Quantitative Treatment of Decoherence
We outline different approaches to define and quantify decoherence. We argue
that a measure based on a properly defined norm of deviation of the density
matrix is appropriate for quantifying decoherence in quantum registers. For a
semiconductor double quantum dot qubit, evaluation of this measure is reviewed.
For a general class of decoherence processes, including those occurring in
semiconductor qubits, we argue that this measure is additive: It scales
linearly with the number of qubits.Comment: Revised version, 26 pages, in LaTeX, 3 EPS figure
Sustained VWF‐ADAMTS‐13 axis imbalance and endotheliopathy in long COVID syndrome is related to immune dysfunction
Background
Prolonged recovery is common after acute SARS-CoV-2 infection; however, the pathophysiological mechanisms underpinning Long COVID syndrome remain unknown. VWF/ADAMTS-13 imbalance, dysregulated angiogenesis, and immunothrombosis are hallmarks of acute COVID-19. We hypothesized that VWF/ADAMTS-13 imbalance persists in convalescence together with endothelial cell (EC) activation and angiogenic disturbance. Additionally, we postulate that ongoing immune cell dysfunction may be linked to sustained EC and coagulation activation.
Patients and methods
Fifty patients were reviewed at a minimum of 6 weeks following acute COVID-19. ADAMTS-13, Weibel Palade Body (WPB) proteins, and angiogenesis-related proteins were assessed and clinical evaluation and immunophenotyping performed. Comparisons were made with healthy controls (n = 20) and acute COVID-19 patients (n = 36).
Results
ADAMTS-13 levels were reduced (p = 0.009) and the VWF-ADAMTS-13 ratio was increased in convalescence (p = 0.0004). Levels of platelet factor 4 (PF4), a putative protector of VWF, were also elevated (p = 0.0001). A non-significant increase in WPB proteins Angiopoietin-2 (Ang-2) and Osteoprotegerin (OPG) was observed in convalescent patients and WPB markers correlated with EC parameters. Enhanced expression of 21 angiogenesis-related proteins was observed in convalescent COVID-19. Finally, immunophenotyping revealed significantly elevated intermediate monocytes and activated CD4+ and CD8+ T cells in convalescence, which correlated with thrombin generation and endotheliopathy markers, respectively.
Conclusion
Our data provide insights into sustained EC activation, dysregulated angiogenesis, and VWF/ADAMTS-13 axis imbalance in convalescent COVID-19. In keeping with the pivotal role of immunothrombosis in acute COVID-19, our findings support the hypothesis that abnormal T cell and monocyte populations may be important in the context of persistent EC activation and hemostatic dysfunction during convalescence
Horizontal Branch Stars: The Interplay between Observations and Theory, and Insights into the Formation of the Galaxy
We review HB stars in a broad astrophysical context, including both variable
and non-variable stars. A reassessment of the Oosterhoff dichotomy is
presented, which provides unprecedented detail regarding its origin and
systematics. We show that the Oosterhoff dichotomy and the distribution of
globular clusters (GCs) in the HB morphology-metallicity plane both exclude,
with high statistical significance, the possibility that the Galactic halo may
have formed from the accretion of dwarf galaxies resembling present-day Milky
Way satellites such as Fornax, Sagittarius, and the LMC. A rediscussion of the
second-parameter problem is presented. A technique is proposed to estimate the
HB types of extragalactic GCs on the basis of integrated far-UV photometry. The
relationship between the absolute V magnitude of the HB at the RR Lyrae level
and metallicity, as obtained on the basis of trigonometric parallax
measurements for the star RR Lyrae, is also revisited, giving a distance
modulus to the LMC of (m-M)_0 = 18.44+/-0.11. RR Lyrae period change rates are
studied. Finally, the conductive opacities used in evolutionary calculations of
low-mass stars are investigated. [ABRIDGED]Comment: 56 pages, 22 figures. Invited review, to appear in Astrophysics and
Space Scienc
Strategies for Controlled Placement of Nanoscale Building Blocks
The capability of placing individual nanoscale building blocks on exact substrate locations in a controlled manner is one of the key requirements to realize future electronic, optical, and magnetic devices and sensors that are composed of such blocks. This article reviews some important advances in the strategies for controlled placement of nanoscale building blocks. In particular, we will overview template assisted placement that utilizes physical, molecular, or electrostatic templates, DNA-programmed assembly, placement using dielectrophoresis, approaches for non-close-packed assembly of spherical particles, and recent development of focused placement schemes including electrostatic funneling, focused placement via molecular gradient patterns, electrodynamic focusing of charged aerosols, and others
Associations of autozygosity with a broad range of human phenotypes
In many species, the offspring of related parents suffer reduced reproductive success, a phenomenon known as inbreeding depression. In humans, the importance of this effect has remained unclear, partly because reproduction between close relatives is both rare and frequently associated with confounding social factors. Here, using genomic inbreeding coefficients (FROH) for >1.4 million individuals, we show that FROH is significantly associated (p < 0.0005) with apparently deleterious changes in 32 out of 100 traits analysed. These changes are associated with runs of homozygosity (ROH), but not with common variant homozygosity, suggesting that genetic variants associated with inbreeding depression are predominantly rare. The effect on fertility is striking: FROH equivalent to the offspring of first cousins is associated with a 55% decrease [95% CI 44–66%] in the odds of having children. Finally, the effects of FROH are confirmed within full-sibling pairs, where the variation in FROH is independent of all environmental confounding
Whole-genome sequencing reveals host factors underlying critical COVID-19
Critical COVID-19 is caused by immune-mediated inflammatory lung injury. Host genetic variation influences the development of illness requiring critical care1 or hospitalization2,3,4 after infection with SARS-CoV-2. The GenOMICC (Genetics of Mortality in Critical Care) study enables the comparison of genomes from individuals who are critically ill with those of population controls to find underlying disease mechanisms. Here we use whole-genome sequencing in 7,491 critically ill individuals compared with 48,400 controls to discover and replicate 23 independent variants that significantly predispose to critical COVID-19. We identify 16 new independent associations, including variants within genes that are involved in interferon signalling (IL10RB and PLSCR1), leucocyte differentiation (BCL11A) and blood-type antigen secretor status (FUT2). Using transcriptome-wide association and colocalization to infer the effect of gene expression on disease severity, we find evidence that implicates multiple genes—including reduced expression of a membrane flippase (ATP11A), and increased expression of a mucin (MUC1)—in critical disease. Mendelian randomization provides evidence in support of causal roles for myeloid cell adhesion molecules (SELE, ICAM5 and CD209) and the coagulation factor F8, all of which are potentially druggable targets. Our results are broadly consistent with a multi-component model of COVID-19 pathophysiology, in which at least two distinct mechanisms can predispose to life-threatening disease: failure to control viral replication; or an enhanced tendency towards pulmonary inflammation and intravascular coagulation. We show that comparison between cases of critical illness and population controls is highly efficient for the detection of therapeutically relevant mechanisms of disease
The effects of Eucalyptus globulus Labill. leaf letter on C and N mineralization in soils from pasture and native forest
The effects of addition of Eucalyptus globulus leaf litter on carbon and nitrogen mineralization in soils from a pasture and a native forest were evaluated using a long-term laboratory aerobic incubation assay (29 weeks at 20°C) in leaching microlysimeters. The amount of added leaf litter significantly influenced microbial respiration, microbial biomass and N turnover in both the native forest and pasture soils. Cumulative CO2-C respired increased with increasing rate of leaf litter addition when leaf litter was mixed through the soil or placed on the soil surface. These increases were associated with increases in microbial biomass C content. Cumulative net N mineralization declined in all treatments when litter was added and was lowest when leaf litter was mixed with soil. When leaf litter was added in increasing amounts to the soil surface, there was a concomitant increase in microbial biomass N content (r2=0.79, n = 8), indicating that the reduction in net N mineralization was primarily due to immobilization of N in microbial tissues. In contrast, when litter was mixed with soil in increasing amounts, there was a decrease in microbial biomass N in forest soil and an increase in pasture soil. Consequently, changes in the rate of net N mineralization were not well related to changes in microbial biomass N content. It is suggested that this may be due to the greater activity and more rapid turnover of microorganisms where litter was incorporated resulting in more of the immobilized N being partitioned into metabolic products or dead microbial cells. Incorporation of litter may also have enhanced loss N through denitrification
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