44 research outputs found
The elliptic flow and the shear viscosity of the QGP within a kinetic approach
We use a relativistic transport approach to study the role of a temperature dependent shear viscosity to entropy density ratio, η/s(T), on the build-up of the elliptic flow, v2. The recent results from = 62.4GeV at RHIC up to 2.76 TeV at LHC have shown an intriguing property of the v2(pT), which appears to be nearly invariant with energy. We show that in our transport approach this surprising behavior can be described by a particular temperature dependence of η/s(T), typical of matter that undergoes a phase transition or a cross-over, with a rise and fall and the minimum close to critical temperature Tc
Polyakov Loop and Gluon Quasiparticles in Yang-Mills Thermodynamics
We study the interpretation of Lattice data about the thermodynamics of the
deconfinement phase of SU(3) Yang-Mills theory, in terms of gluon
quasiparticles propagating in a background of a Polyakov loop. A potential for
the Polyakov loop, inspired by the strong coupling expansion of the QCD action,
is introduced; the Polyakov loop is coupled to tranverse gluon quasiparticles
by means of a gas-like effective potential. This study is useful to identify
the effective degrees of freedom propagating in the gluon medium above the
critical temperature. A main general finding is that a dominant part of the
phase transition dynamics is accounted for by the Polyakov loop dynamics, hence
the thermodynamics can be described without the need for diverging or
exponentially increasing quasiparticle masses as , at
variance respect to standard quasiparticle models.Comment: 8 pages, 9 figure
Phase diagrams in the Hadron-PNJL model
The two-Equation of State (Two-EoS) model is used to describe the
hadron-quark phase transition in dense-hot matter formed in heavy-ion
collisions. The non-linear Walecka model is used to describe the hadronic
phase. For the quark phase, the Nambu--Jona-Lasinio model coupled to
Polyakov-Loop fields (PNJL) is used to include both the chiral and
(de)confinement dynamics. The phase diagrams are derived from the Gibbs
conditions and compared with the results obtained in the Hadron-NJL model
without confinement. As in the Hadron-NJL case a first order transition is
observed, but with a Critical-End-Point at much higher temperature, consequence
of the confinement mechanism that reduces the degrees of freedom of the quark
matter in proximity of the phase transition. Particular attention is devoted to
the phase transition in isospin asymmetric matter. Interesting isospin effects
are found at high baryon density and reduced temperatures, in fact common also
to other quark models, like MIT-Bag and NJL model. Some possible observation
signals are suggested to probe in Heavy-Ion Collision (HIC) experiments at
intermediate energies.Comment: 11 pages, 10 figures (revtex4
Concurrent AFG3L2 and SPG7 mutations associated with syndromic parkinsonism and optic atrophy with aberrant OPA1 processing and mitochondrial network fragmentation
Mitochondrial dynamics and quality control are crucial for neuronal survival and their perturbation is a major cause of neurodegeneration. m-AAA complex is an ATP-dependent metalloprotease located in the inner mitochondrial membrane and involved in protein quality control. Mutations in the m-AAA subunits AFG3L2 and paraplegin are associated with autosomal dominant spinocerebellar ataxia (SCA28) and autosomal recessive hereditary spastic paraplegia (SPG7), respectively. We report a novel m-AAA-associated phenotype characterized by early-onset optic atrophy with spastic ataxia and L-Dopa-responsive parkinsonism. The proband carried a de-novo AFG3L2 heterozygous mutation (p.R468C) along with a heterozygous maternally-inherited intragenic deletion of SPG7. Functional analysis in yeast demonstrated the pathogenic role of AFG3L2 p.R468C mutation shedding light on its pathogenic mechanism. Analysis of patient's fibroblasts showed an abnormal processing pattern of OPA1, a dynamin-related protein essential for mitochondrial fusion and responsible for most cases of hereditary optic atrophy. Consistently, assessment of mitochondrial morphology revealed a severe fragmentation of the mitochondrial network, not observed in SCA28 and SPG7 patients\u2019 cells. This case suggests that coincidental mutations in both components of the mitochondrial m-AAA protease may result in a complex phenotype and reveals a crucial role for OPA1 processing in the pathogenesis of neurodegenerative disease caused by m-AAA defects
INFN What Next: Ultra-relativistic Heavy-Ion Collisions
This document was prepared by the community that is active in Italy, within
INFN (Istituto Nazionale di Fisica Nucleare), in the field of
ultra-relativistic heavy-ion collisions. The experimental study of the phase
diagram of strongly-interacting matter and of the Quark-Gluon Plasma (QGP)
deconfined state will proceed, in the next 10-15 years, along two directions:
the high-energy regime at RHIC and at the LHC, and the low-energy regime at
FAIR, NICA, SPS and RHIC. The Italian community is strongly involved in the
present and future programme of the ALICE experiment, the upgrade of which will
open, in the 2020s, a new phase of high-precision characterisation of the QGP
properties at the LHC. As a complement of this main activity, there is a
growing interest in a possible future experiment at the SPS, which would target
the search for the onset of deconfinement using dimuon measurements. On a
longer timescale, the community looks with interest at the ongoing studies and
discussions on a possible fixed-target programme using the LHC ion beams and on
the Future Circular Collider.Comment: 99 pages, 56 figure
A reanalysis of Finite Temperature SU(N) Gauge Theory
We revise the , , lattice data on pure gauge theories at
finite temperature by means of a quasi-particle approach. In particular we
focus on the relation between the quasi-particle effective mass and the order
of the deconfinement transition, the scaling of the interaction measure with
, the role of gluon condensate, the screening mass.Comment: 7 pages, 7 figure
Sex-related mortality differences in young adult septic shock patients
Septic shock survival rate and host immune response are intimately interlaced. In the last years, biological and pre-clinical studies demonstrated sex-specific differences in the immune response to infection. In the hypothesis that survival rate is related to the hormonal framework, the aim of the present study was to observe sex-specific differences in 28-day mortality rate between women of childbearing potential and same-age men. This multicenter study was conducted in six Italian intensive care units (ICUs). We enrolled consecutive patients ≤ 55 years old admitted to the Intensive Care Unit from January 2011 to January 2020, who were diagnosed with septic shock at the time of ICU admission or during the ICU stay. We gathered baseline characteristics and outcomes. The primary outcome was 28-day mortality; secondary outcomes included ICU mortality, in-hospital mortality and length of stay in the ICU and in the hospital. Moreover, data from >55 years old patients were collected and analyzed. We enrolled 361 young patients with septic shock: 215 were males (60%) and 146 females (40%). While baseline and ICU characteristics were similar between the two groups, males had a higher 28-day mortality rate (39.5% vs. 29%, p = 0.035), ICU mortality rate (49% vs. 38%, p = 0.040) and hospital mortality rate (61% vs. 50%, p = 0.040) as compared to females. Findings were confirmed in patients with septic shock at ICU admission. Young adult females developed septic shock less frequently than young males, displaying a reduced mortality rate as compared to that of their same-age male counterpart. These findings may stimulate future research and therapies
Global patient outcomes after elective surgery: prospective cohort study in 27 low-, middle- and high-income countries.
BACKGROUND: As global initiatives increase patient access to surgical treatments, there remains a need to understand the adverse effects of surgery and define appropriate levels of perioperative care. METHODS: We designed a prospective international 7-day cohort study of outcomes following elective adult inpatient surgery in 27 countries. The primary outcome was in-hospital complications. Secondary outcomes were death following a complication (failure to rescue) and death in hospital. Process measures were admission to critical care immediately after surgery or to treat a complication and duration of hospital stay. A single definition of critical care was used for all countries. RESULTS: A total of 474 hospitals in 19 high-, 7 middle- and 1 low-income country were included in the primary analysis. Data included 44 814 patients with a median hospital stay of 4 (range 2-7) days. A total of 7508 patients (16.8%) developed one or more postoperative complication and 207 died (0.5%). The overall mortality among patients who developed complications was 2.8%. Mortality following complications ranged from 2.4% for pulmonary embolism to 43.9% for cardiac arrest. A total of 4360 (9.7%) patients were admitted to a critical care unit as routine immediately after surgery, of whom 2198 (50.4%) developed a complication, with 105 (2.4%) deaths. A total of 1233 patients (16.4%) were admitted to a critical care unit to treat complications, with 119 (9.7%) deaths. Despite lower baseline risk, outcomes were similar in low- and middle-income compared with high-income countries. CONCLUSIONS: Poor patient outcomes are common after inpatient surgery. Global initiatives to increase access to surgical treatments should also address the need for safe perioperative care. STUDY REGISTRATION: ISRCTN5181700