Spectrum and decays of kaonic hydrogen

By using the non-relativistic effective Lagrangian approach to bound states, a complete expression for the isospin-breaking corrections to the energy levels and the decay widths of kaonic hydrogen is obtained up-to-and-including O(alpha,m_d-m_u) in QCD. It is demonstrated that, although the leading-order corrections at O(alpha^{1/2},(m_d-m_u)^{1/2}) emerging due to the unitarity cusp, are huge, they can be expressed solely in terms of the KN S-wave scattering lengths. Consequently, at leading order, it is possible to derive parameter-free modified Deser-type relations, which can be used to extract the scattering lengths from the hadronic atom data.Comment: 9 pages, 3 postscript figures, epj style. References added, minor revisions in the text, results unchange

Characterization of a Novel Human Type II Epithelial Keratin K1b, Specifically Expressed in Eccrine Sweat Glands

In this study, we show that a novel human type II epithelial keratin, K1b, is exclusively expressed in luminal duct cells of eccrine sweat glands. Taking this luminal K1b expression as a reference, we have used antibodies against a plethora of epithelial keratins to systematically investigate their expression in the secretory globule and the two-layered sweat duct, which was divided into the intraglandular, intradermal, and intraepidermal (acrosyringium) segments, the latter being further subdivided into the sweat duct ridge and upper intraepidermal duct. We show that (i) each of the eccrine sweat gland tissue compartments expresses their own keratin patterns, (ii) the peripheral and luminal duct layers exhibit a sequential keratin expression, with both representing self-renewing cell layers, (iii) the intradermal duct and the sweat duct ridge display hitherto unknown length variations, and (iv) out of all cell layers, the luminal cell layer is the most robust layer and expresses the highest number of keratins, these being concentrated at the apical side of the cells to form the cuticle. We provide evidence that the cellular and intercellular properties of the peripheral and the luminal layers reflect adaptations to different functions

The pion-nucleon scattering lengths from pionic deuterium

We use the framework of effective field theories to discuss the determination of the S-wave \pi N scattering lengths from the recent high-precision measurements of pionic deuterium observables. The theoretical analysis proceeds in several steps. Initially, the precise value of the pion-deuteron scattering length a_{\pi d} is extracted from the data. Next, a_{\pi d} is related to the S-wave \pi N scattering lengths a_+ and a_-. We discuss the use of this information for constraining the values of these scattering lengths in the full analysis, which also includes the input from the pionic hydrogen energy shift and width measurements, and throughly investigate the accuracy limits for this procedure. In this paper, we also give a detailed comparison to other effective field theory approaches, as well as with the earlier work on the subject, carried out within the potential model and multiple scattering framework.Comment: The replacement includes an erratum, which is published in Eur. Phys. J.

Tests of the naturalness of the coupling constants in ChPT at order p^6

We derive constraints on combinations of O(p^6) chiral coupling constants by matching a recent two-loop calculation of the pi-K scattering amplitude with a set of sum rules. We examine the validity of the natural expectation that the values of the chiral couplings can be associated with physics properties of the light resonance sector. We focus, in particular, on flavour symmetry breaking of vector resonances. A resonance chiral Lagrangian is constructed which incorporates flavour symmetry breaking more completely than was done before. We use pi-K unsubtracted sum rules as tests of the modelling of the resonance contributions to the chiral couplings. In some cases the O(p^6) couplings are found not to be dominated by the resonance contributions.Comment: 15 pages, 5 figures; v2: minor improvements, to appear in Eur. Phys. J.

Nuclear Proteins Involved in Transcription of the Human K5 Keratin Gene

Keratin K5 is expressed in the basal layer of stratified epithelia in mammals and its synthesis is regulated by hormones and vitamins such as retinoic acid. The molecular mechanisms that regulate K5 expression are not known. To initiate analysis of the protein factors that interact with the human K5 keratin gene upstream region, we have used gel-retardation and DNA-mediated cell-transfection assays. We found five DNA sites that specifically bind nuclear proteins. DNA-protein interactions at two of the sites apparently increase transcription levels, at one decrease it. The importance of the remaining two sites is, at present, unclear. In addition, the location of the retinoic acid and thyroid hormone nuclear receptor action site has been determined, and we suggest that it involves a cluster of five sites similar to the consensus recognition elements. The complex constellation of protein binding sites upstream from the K5 gene probably reflects the complex regulatory circuits that govern the expression of the K5 keratin in mammalian tissues

Energy and decay width of the pi-K atom

The energy and decay width of the pi-K atom are evaluated in the framework of the quasipotential-constraint theory approach. The main electromagnetic and isospin symmetry breaking corrections to the lowest-order formulas for the energy shift from the Coulomb binding energy and for the decay width are calculated. They are estimated to be of the order of a few per cent. We display formulas to extract the strong interaction S-wave pi-K scattering lengths from future experimental data concerning the pi-K atom.Comment: 37 pages, 5 figures, uses Axodra

Spectra and decays of pi pi and pi K atoms

We describe the spectra and decays of pi pi and pi K atoms within a non-relativistic effective field theory. The evaluations of the energy shifts and widths are performed at next-to-leading order in isospin symmetry breaking. We provide general formulae for all S-states, and discuss the states with angular momentum one in some detail. The prediction for the lifetime of the pi K atom in its ground-state yields tau = (3.7 \pm 0.4) * 10^{-15} sec.Comment: 37 pages, 6 figure

Decay widths and energy shifts of pi pi and pi K atoms

We calculate the S-wave decay widths and energy shifts for pi pi and pi K atoms in the framework of QCD+QED. The evaluation - valid at next-to-leading order in isospin symmetry breaking - is performed within a non-relativistic effective field theory. The results are of interest for future hadronic atom experiments.Comment: Version to be published in Phys. Lett. B. Four references added, correlation matrix for pi K scattering lengths updated, uncertainty of Delta E^h_1 in table 2 adapted. 14 pages, 1 figur

Axial form factor of the nucleon in the perturbative chiral quark model

We apply the perturbative chiral quark model (PCQM) at one loop to analyze the axial form factor of the nucleon. This chiral quark model is based on an effective Lagrangian, where baryons are described by relativistic valence quarks and a perturbative cloud of Goldstone bosons as dictated by chiral symmetry. We apply the formalism to obtain analytical expressions for the axial form factor of the nucleon, which is given in terms of fundamental parameters of low-energy pion-nucleon physics (weak pion decay constant, strong pion-nucleon form factor) and of only one model parameter (radius of the nucleonic three-quark core).Comment: 23 pages, 5 figures, accepted for publication in J. Phys.