113 research outputs found
Glimmers of a pre-geometric perspective
Space-time measurements and gravitational experiments are made by using
objects, matter fields or particles and their mutual relationships. As a
consequence, any operationally meaningful assertion about space-time is in fact
an assertion about the degrees of freedom of the matter (\emph{i.e} non
gravitational) fields; those, say for definiteness, of the Standard Model of
particle physics. As for any quantum theory, the dynamics of the matter fields
can be described in terms of a unitary evolution of a state vector in a Hilbert
space. By writing the Hilbert space as a generic tensor product of "subsystems"
we analyse the evolution of a state vector on an information theoretical basis
and attempt to recover the usual space-time relations from the information
exchanges between these subsystems. We consider generic interacting second
quantized models with a finite number of fermionic degrees of freedom and
characterize on physical grounds the tensor product structure associated with
the class of "localized systems" and therefore with "position". We find that in
the case of free theories no space-time relation is operationally definable. On
the contrary, by applying the same procedure to the simple interacting model of
a one-dimensional Heisenberg spin chain we recover the tensor product structure
usually associated with "position". Finally, we discuss the possible role of
gravity in this framework.Comment: 30 page
Reduced contextually induced muscle thermogenesis in rats with calorie restriction and lower aerobic fitness but not monogenic obesity
We have previously identified predator odor as a potent stimulus activating thermogenesis in skeletal muscle in rats. As this may prove relevant for energy balance and weight loss, the current study investigated whether skeletal muscle thermogenesis was altered with negative energy balance, obesity propensity seen in association with low intrinsic aerobic fitness, and monogenic obesity. First, weight loss subsequent to three weeks of 50% calorie restriction suppressed the muscle thermogenic response to predator odor. Next, we compared rats bred based on artificial selection for intrinsic aerobic fitness—high- and low-capacity runners (HCR, LCR)—that display robust leanness and obesity propensity, respectively. Aerobically fit HCR showed enhanced predator odor-induced muscle thermogenesis relative to the less-fit LCR. This contrasted with the profound monogenic obesity displayed by rats homozygous for a loss of function mutation in Melanocortin 4 receptor (Mc4rK314X/K314X rats), which showed no discernable deficit in thermogenesis. Taken together, these data imply that body size or obesity per se are not associated with deficient muscle thermogenesis. Rather, the physiological phenotype associated with polygenic obesity propensity may encompass pleiotropic mechanisms in the thermogenic pathway. Adaptive thermogenesis associated with weight loss also likely alters muscle thermogenic mechanisms.</p
Age- and Sex-Specific Nomographic CT Quantitative Plaque Data From a Large International Cohort.
With growing adoption of coronary computed tomographic angiography (CTA), there is increasing evidence for and interest in the prognostic importance of atherosclerotic plaque volume. Manual tools for plaque segmentation are cumbersome, and their routine implementation in clinical practice is limited.
The aim of this study was to develop nomographic quantitative plaque values from a large consecutive multicenter cohort using coronary CTA.
Quantitative assessment of total atherosclerotic plaque and plaque subtype volumes was performed in patients undergoing clinically indicated coronary CTA, using an Artificial Intelligence-Enabled Quantitative Coronary Plaque Analysis tool.
A total of 11,808 patients were included in the analysis; their mean age was 62.7 ± 12.2 years, and 5,423 (45.9%) were women. The median total plaque volume was 223 mm <sup>3</sup> (IQR: 29-614 mm <sup>3</sup> ) and was significantly higher in male participants (360 mm <sup>3</sup> ; IQR: 78-805 mm <sup>3</sup> ) compared with female participants (108 mm <sup>3</sup> ; IQR: 10-388 mm <sup>3</sup> ) (P < 0.0001). Total plaque increased with age in both male and female patients. Younger patients exhibited a higher prevalence of noncalcified plaque. The distribution of total plaque volume and its components was reported in every decile by age group and sex.
The authors developed pragmatic age- and sex-stratified percentile nomograms for atherosclerotic plaque measures using findings from coronary CTA. The impact of age and sex on total plaque and its components should be considered in the risk-benefit analysis when treating patients. Artificial Intelligence-Enabled Quantitative Coronary Plaque Analysis work flows could provide context to better interpret coronary computed tomographic angiographic measures and could be integrated into clinical decision making
Fermionic massive modes along cosmic strings
The influence on cosmic string dynamics of fermionic massive bound states
propagating in the vortex, and getting their mass only from coupling to the
string forming Higgs field, is studied. Such massive fermionic currents are
numerically found to exist for a wide range of model parameters and seen to
modify drastically the usual string dynamics coming from the zero mode currents
alone. In particular, by means of a quantization procedure, a new equation of
state describing cosmic strings with any kind of fermionic current, massive or
massless, is derived and found to involve, at least, one state parameter per
trapped fermion species. This equation of state exhibits transitions from
subsonic to supersonic regimes while the massive modes are filled.Comment: 27 pages, 15 figures, uses ReVTeX. Shortened version, accepted for
publication in Phys. Rev.
Equation of state of cosmic strings with fermionic current-carriers
The relevant characteristic features, including energy per unit length and
tension, of a cosmic string carrying massless fermionic currents in the
framework of the Witten model in the neutral limit are derived through
quantization of the spinor fields along the string. The construction of a Fock
space is performed by means of a separation between longitudinal modes and the
so-called transverse zero energy solutions of the Dirac equation in the vortex.
As a result, quantization leads to a set of naturally defined state parameters
which are the number densities of particles and anti-particles trapped in the
cosmic string. It is seen that the usual one-parameter formalism for describing
the macroscopic dynamics of current-carrying vortices is not sufficient in the
case of fermionic carriers.Comment: 30 pages, 15 figures, uses ReVTeX, equation of state corrected,
comments and references added. Accepted for publication in Phys. Rev.
Comparison of sequencing methods and data processing pipelines for whole genome sequencing and minority single nucleotide variant (mSNV) analysis during an influenza A/H5N8 outbreak
As high-throughput sequencing technologies are becoming more widely adopted for analysing pathogens in disease outbreaks there needs to be assurance that the different sequencing technologies and approaches to data analysis will yield reliable and comparable results. Conversely, understanding where agreement cannot be achieved provides insight into the limitations of these approaches and also allows efforts to be focused on areas of the process that need improvement. This manuscript describes the next-generation sequencing of three closely related viruses, each analysed using different sequencing strategies, sequencing instruments and data processing pipelines. In order to determine the comparability of consensus sequences and minority (sub-consensus) single nucleotide variant (mSNV) identification, the biological samples, the sequence data from 3 sequencing platforms and the *.bam quality-trimmed alignment files of raw data of 3 influenza A/H5N8 viruses were shared. This analysis demonstrated that variation in the final result could be attributed to all stages in the process, but the most critical were the well-known homopolymer errors introduced by 454 sequencing, and the alignment processes in the different data processing pipelines which affected the consistency of mSNV detection. However, homopolymer errors aside, there was generally a good agreement between consensus sequences that were obtained for all combinations of sequencing platforms and data processing pipelines. Nevertheless, minority variant analysis will need a different level of careful standardization and awareness about the possible limitations, as shown in this study
What Physical Processes Drive the Interstellar Medium in the Local Bubble?
Recent 3D high-resolution simulations of the interstellar medium in a star form-
ing galaxy like the Milky Way show that supernova explosions are the main driver of the
structure and evolution of the gas. Its physical state is largely controlled by turbulence due
to the high Reynolds numbers of the average flows. For a constant supernova rate a dynam-
ical equilibrium is established within 200 Myr of simulation as a consequence of the setup
of a galactic fountain. The resulting interstellar medium reveals a typical density/pressure
pattern, i.e. distribution of so-called gas phases, on scales of 500–700 pc, with interstellar
bubbles being a common phenomenon just like the Local Bubble and the Loop I superbub-
ble, which are assumed to be interacting. However, modeling the Local Bubble is special,
because it is driven by a moving group, passing through its volume, as it is inferred from
the analysis of Hipparcos data. A detailed analysis reveals that between 14 and 19 super-
novae have exploded during the last 15 Myr. The age of the Local Bubble is derived from
comparison with HI and UV absorption line data to be 14.5±0.7
Myr. We further predict the
0.4merging of the two bubbles in about 3 Myr from now, when the interaction shell starts to
fragment. The Local Cloud and its companion HI clouds are the consequence of a dynamical
instability in the interaction shell between the Local and the Loop I bubble
Search for the standard model Higgs boson decaying into two photons in pp collisions at sqrt(s)=7 TeV
A search for a Higgs boson decaying into two photons is described. The
analysis is performed using a dataset recorded by the CMS experiment at the LHC
from pp collisions at a centre-of-mass energy of 7 TeV, which corresponds to an
integrated luminosity of 4.8 inverse femtobarns. Limits are set on the cross
section of the standard model Higgs boson decaying to two photons. The expected
exclusion limit at 95% confidence level is between 1.4 and 2.4 times the
standard model cross section in the mass range between 110 and 150 GeV. The
analysis of the data excludes, at 95% confidence level, the standard model
Higgs boson decaying into two photons in the mass range 128 to 132 GeV. The
largest excess of events above the expected standard model background is
observed for a Higgs boson mass hypothesis of 124 GeV with a local significance
of 3.1 sigma. The global significance of observing an excess with a local
significance greater than 3.1 sigma anywhere in the search range 110-150 GeV is
estimated to be 1.8 sigma. More data are required to ascertain the origin of
this excess.Comment: Submitted to Physics Letters
Measurement of isolated photon production in pp and PbPb collisions at sqrt(sNN) = 2.76 TeV
Isolated photon production is measured in proton-proton and lead-lead
collisions at nucleon-nucleon centre-of-mass energies of 2.76 TeV in the
pseudorapidity range |eta|<1.44 and transverse energies ET between 20 and 80
GeV with the CMS detector at the LHC. The measured ET spectra are found to be
in good agreement with next-to-leading-order perturbative QCD predictions. The
ratio of PbPb to pp isolated photon ET-differential yields, scaled by the
number of incoherent nucleon-nucleon collisions, is consistent with unity for
all PbPb reaction centralities.Comment: Submitted to Physics Letters
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