Radial Flow from Electromagnetic Probes and Signal of Quark Gluon Plasma

A first attempt has been made to extract the evolution of radial flow from the analysis of the experimental data on electromagnetic probes experimentally measured at SPS and RHIC energies. The $p_T$ spectra of photons and dileptons measured by WA98 and NA60 collaborations respectively at CERN-SPS and the photon spectra obtained by PHENIX collaboration at BNL-RHIC have been used to constrain the theoretical models, rendering the outcome of the analysis largely model independent. We argue that the variation of the radial velocity with invariant mass is indicative of a phase transition from initially produced partons to hadrons at SPS and RHIC energies.Comment: One LaTeX and 9 eps files, to appear in Phys. Rev.

Scalable fabrication of gap-plasmon-based dynamic and chromogenic nanostructures by capillary-interaction driven self-assembly of liquid-metal

Dynamically tunable nanoengineered structures for coloration show promising applications in sensing, displays, and communication. However, their potential challenge remains in having a scalable manufacturing process over large scales in tens of cm of area. For the first time, we report a novel approach for fabricating chromogenic nanostructures that respond to mechanical stimuli by utilizing the fluidic properties of polydimethylsiloxane (PDMS) as a substrate and the interfacial tension of liquid metal-based plasmonic nanoparticles. Relying on the PDMS tunable property and a physical deposition method, our approach is single-step, scalable, and does not rely on high carbon footprint lithographic processes. By tuning the oligomer content in PDMS, we show that varieties of structural colors covering a significant gamut in CIE coordinates are achieved. We develop a model which depicts the formation of Ga nanodroplets from the capillary interaction of oligomers in PDMS with Ga. We showcase the capabilities of our processing technique by presenting prototypes of reflective displays and sensors for monitoring body parts, smart bandages, and the capacity of the nanostructured film to map force in real time. These examples illustrate this technology's broad range of applications, such as large-area displays, devices for human-computer interactions, healthcare, and visual communication

Simultaneous inhibition of T helper 2 and T regulatory cell differentiation by small molecules enhances bacillus Calmette-Guerin vaccine efficacy against tuberculosis

Tuberculosis affects nine million individuals and kills almost two million people every year. The only vaccine available, Bacillus Calmette-Guerin (BCG), has been used since its inception in 1921. Although BCG induces host-protective T helper 1 (Th1) cell immune responses, which play a central role in host protection, its efficacy is unsatisfactory, suggesting that additional methods to enhance protective immune responses are needed. Recently we have shown that simultaneous inhibition of Th2 cells and Tregs by using the pharmacological inhibitors suplatast tosylate and D4476, respectively, dramatically enhances Mycobacterium tuberculosis clearance and induces superior Th1 responses. Here we show that treatment with these two drugs during BCG vaccination dramatically improves vaccine efficacy. Furthermore, we demonstrate that these drugs induce a shift in the development of T cell memory, favoring central memory T (Tcm) cell responses over effector memory T (Tem) cell responses. Collectively, our findings provide evidence that simultaneous inhibition of Th2 cells and Tregs during BCG vaccination promotes vaccine efficacy

Summary of the Activities of the Working Group I on High Energy and Collider Physics

This is a summary of the projects undertaken by the Working Group I on High Energy Collider Physics at the Eighth Workshop on High Energy Physics Phenomenology (WHEPP8) held at the Indian Institute of Technology, Mumbai, January 5-16, 2004. The topics covered are (i) Higgs searches (ii) supersymmetry searches (iii) extra dimensions and (iv) linear collider.Comment: summary of Working Group I at the Eighth Workshop on High Energy Physics Phenomenology (WHEPP8), I.I.T., Mumbai, January 5-16, 200

Biofabrication of Anisotropic Gold Nanotriangles Using Extract of Endophytic Aspergillus clavatus as a Dual Functional Reductant and Stabilizer

Biosynthesis of metal and semiconductor nanoparticles using microorganisms has emerged as a more eco-friendly, simpler and reproducible alternative to the chemical synthesis, allowing the generation of rare forms such as nanotriangles and prisms. Here, we report the endophytic fungus Aspergillus clavatus, isolated from surface sterilized stem tissues of Azadirachta indica A. Juss., when incubated with an aqueous solution of chloroaurate ions produces a diverse mixture of intracellular gold nanoparticles (AuNPs), especially nanotriangles (GNT) in the size range from 20 to 35 nm. These structures (GNT) are of special interest since they possess distinct plasmonic features in the visible and IR regions, which equipped them with unique physical and optical properties exploitable in vital applications such as optics, electronics, catalysis and biomedicine. The reaction process was simple and convenient to handle and was monitored using ultraviolet–visible spectroscopy (UV–vis). The morphology and crystalline nature of the GNTs were determined from transmission electron microscopy (TEM), atomic force spectroscopy (AFM) and X-ray diffraction (XRD) spectroscopy. This proposed mechanistic principal might serve as a set of design rule for the synthesis of anisotropic nanostructures with desired architecture and can be amenable for the large scale commercial production and technical applications

Global, regional, and national burden of chronic kidney disease, 1990–2017 : a systematic analysis for the Global Burden of Disease Study 2017

Background Health system planning requires careful assessment of chronic kidney disease (CKD) epidemiology, but data for morbidity and mortality of this disease are scarce or non-existent in many countries. We estimated the global, regional, and national burden of CKD, as well as the burden of cardiovascular disease and gout attributable to impaired kidney function, for the Global Burden of Diseases, Injuries, and Risk Factors Study 2017. We use the term CKD to refer to the morbidity and mortality that can be directly attributed to all stages of CKD, and we use the term impaired kidney function to refer to the additional risk of CKD from cardiovascular disease and gout. Methods The main data sources we used were published literature, vital registration systems, end-stage kidney disease registries, and household surveys. Estimates of CKD burden were produced using a Cause of Death Ensemble model and a Bayesian meta-regression analytical tool, and included incidence, prevalence, years lived with disability, mortality, years of life lost, and disability-adjusted life-years (DALYs). A comparative risk assessment approach was used to estimate the proportion of cardiovascular diseases and gout burden attributable to impaired kidney function. Findings Globally, in 2017, 1·2 million (95% uncertainty interval [UI] 1·2 to 1·3) people died from CKD. The global all-age mortality rate from CKD increased 41·5% (95% UI 35·2 to 46·5) between 1990 and 2017, although there was no significant change in the age-standardised mortality rate (2·8%, −1·5 to 6·3). In 2017, 697·5 million (95% UI 649·2 to 752·0) cases of all-stage CKD were recorded, for a global prevalence of 9·1% (8·5 to 9·8). The global all-age prevalence of CKD increased 29·3% (95% UI 26·4 to 32·6) since 1990, whereas the age-standardised prevalence remained stable (1·2%, −1·1 to 3·5). CKD resulted in 35·8 million (95% UI 33·7 to 38·0) DALYs in 2017, with diabetic nephropathy accounting for almost a third of DALYs. Most of the burden of CKD was concentrated in the three lowest quintiles of Socio-demographic Index (SDI). In several regions, particularly Oceania, sub-Saharan Africa, and Latin America, the burden of CKD was much higher than expected for the level of development, whereas the disease burden in western, eastern, and central sub-Saharan Africa, east Asia, south Asia, central and eastern Europe, Australasia, and western Europe was lower than expected. 1·4 million (95% UI 1·2 to 1·6) cardiovascular disease-related deaths and 25·3 million (22·2 to 28·9) cardiovascular disease DALYs were attributable to impaired kidney function. Interpretation Kidney disease has a major effect on global health, both as a direct cause of global morbidity and mortality and as an important risk factor for cardiovascular disease. CKD is largely preventable and treatable and deserves greater attention in global health policy decision making, particularly in locations with low and middle SDI

Shared heritability of attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder and autism spectrum disorder

Attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) and autism spectrum disorder (ASD) are both highly heritable neurodevelopmental disorders. Evidence indicates both disorders co-occur with a high frequency, in 20–50% of children with ADHD meeting criteria for ASD and in 30-80% of ASD children meeting criteria for ADHD. This review will provide an overview on all available studies [family based, twin, candidate gene, linkage, and genome wide association (GWA) studies] shedding light on the role of shared genetic underpinnings of ADHD and ASD. It is concluded that family and twin studies do provide support for the hypothesis that ADHD and ASD originate from partly similar familial/genetic factors. Only a few candidate gene studies, linkage studies and GWA studies have specifically addressed this co-occurrence, pinpointing to some promising pleiotropic genes, loci and single nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs), but the research field is in urgent need for better designed and powered studies to tackle this complex issue. We propose that future studies examining shared familial etiological factors for ADHD and ASD use a family-based design in which the same phenotypic (ADHD and ASD), candidate endophenotypic, and environmental measurements are obtained from all family members. Multivariate multi-level models are probably best suited for the statistical analysis