93 research outputs found
Water in society: An interdisciplinary course to support undergraduate students\u27 water literacy
Kisspeptin-neuron control of LH pulsatility and ovulation
Feedback from oestradiol (E2) plays a critical role in the regulation of major events in the physiological menstrual cycle including the release of gonadotrophins to stimulate follicular growth, and the mid-cycle luteinising hormone (LH) surge that leads to ovulation. E2 predominantly exerts its action via oestrogen receptor-alpha (ERα), however, as gonadotrophin releasing hormone (GnRH) neurons lack ERα, E2-feedback is posited to be indirectly mediated via upstream neurons. Kisspeptin (KP) is a neuropeptide expressed in hypothalamic KP-neurons that control GnRH secretion and plays a key role in the central mechanism regulating the hypothalamic-pituitary-gonadal (HPG) axis. In the rodent arcuate (ARC) nucleus, KP is co-expressed with Neurokinin B and Dynorphin; and thus, these neurons are termed âKisspeptin-Neurokinin B-Dynorphinâ (KNDy) neurons. ARC KP-neurons function as the âGnRH pulse generatorâ to regulate GnRH pulsatility, as well as mediating negative feedback from E2. A second KP neuronal population is present in the rostral periventricular area of the third ventricle (RP3V), which includes anteroventral periventricular (AVPV) nucleus and preoptic area neurons. These RP3V KP-neurons mediate positive feedback to induce the mid-cycle luteinising hormone (LH) surge and subsequent ovulation. Here, we describe the role of KP-neurons in these two regions in mediating this differential feedback from oestrogens. We conclude by considering reproductive diseases for which exploitation of these mechanisms could yield future therapies
Parton energy loss limits and shadowing in Drell-Yan dimuon production
A precise measurement of the ratios of the Drell-Yan cross section per
nucleon for an 800 GeV/c proton beam incident on Be, Fe and W targets is
reported. The behavior of the Drell-Yan ratios at small target parton momentum
fraction is well described by an existing fit to the shadowing observed in
deep-inelastic scattering. The cross section ratios as a function of the
incident parton momentum fraction set tight limits on the energy loss of quarks
passing through a cold nucleus
Measurement of Angular Distributions of Drell-Yan Dimuons in Interactions at 800 GeV/c
We report a measurement of the angular distributions of Drell-Yan dimuons
produced using an 800 GeV/c proton beam on a hydrogen target. The polar and
azimuthal angular distribution parameters have been extracted over the
kinematic range GeV/c (excluding the
resonance region), GeV/c, and . The angular
distributions are similar to those of , and both data sets are compared
with models which attribute the distribution either to the
presence of the transverse-momentum-dependent Boer-Mulders structure function
or to QCD effects. The data indicate the presence of both
mechanisms. The validity of the Lam-Tung relation in Drell-Yan is also
tested.Comment: 4 pages, 3 figure
Measurement of Angular Distributions of Drell-Yan Dimuons in p + d Interaction at 800 GeV/c
We report a measurement of the angular distributions of Drell-Yan dimuons
produced using an 800 GeV/c proton beam on a deuterium target. The muon angular
distributions in polar angle and azimuthal angle have been
measured over the kinematic range GeV/c, GeV/c, and . No significant cos dependence is found
in these proton-induced Drell-Yan data, in contrast to the situation for
pion-induced Drell-Yan. The data are compared with expectations from models
which attribute the cos distribution to a QCD vacuum effect or to the
presence of the transverse-momentum-dependent Boer-Mulders structure function
. Constraints on the magnitude of the sea-quark
structure functions are obtained.Comment: 4 pages, 3 figure
Measurement of the Light Antiquark Flavor Asymmetry in the Nucleon Sea
A precise measurement of the ratio of Drell-Yan yields from an 800 GeV/c
proton beam incident on hydrogen and deuterium targets is reported. Over
140,000 Drell-Yan muon pairs with dimuon mass M_{mu+ mu-} >= 4.5 GeV/c^2 were
recorded. From these data, the ratio of anti-down (dbar) to anti-up (ubar)
quark distributions in the proton sea is determined over a wide range in
Bjorken-x. A strong x dependence is observed in the ratio dbar/ubar, showing
substantial enhancement of dbar with respect to ubar for x<0.2. This result is
in fair agreement with recent parton distribution parameterizations of the sea.
For x>0.2, the observed dbar/ubar ratio is much nearer unity than given by the
parameterizations.Comment: REVTeX, to be published in Phys. Rev. Let
dbar/ubar Asymmetry and the Origin of the Nucleon Sea
The Drell-Yan cross section ratios, , measured in
Fermilab E866, have led to the first determination of ,
, and the integral of for the
proton over the range . The E866 results are compared
with predictions based on parton distribution functions and various theoretical
models. The relationship between the E866 results and the NMC measurement of
the Gottfried integral is discussed. The agreement between the E866 results and
models employing virtual mesons indicates these non-perturbative processes play
an important role in the origin of the , asymmetry in the
nucleon sea.Comment: 5 pages, 3 figures, ReVTe
The PHENIX Experiment at RHIC
The physics emphases of the PHENIX collaboration and the design and current
status of the PHENIX detector are discussed. The plan of the collaboration for
making the most effective use of the available luminosity in the first years of
RHIC operation is also presented.Comment: 5 pages, 1 figure. Further details of the PHENIX physics program
available at http://www.rhic.bnl.gov/phenix
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