Over egging the pudding? Comments on Ojala and Thorpe

In a recent paper in ISCJ, Ojala and Thorpe offered a culturally based observation that questions the role and application of coaching in action sports. Their critique is focused on the action sport of snowboarding which, despite its’ comparatively recent inclusion in the Olympics, retains a different, almost collaborative rather than competitive culture more akin to other action sports such as skateboarding and surfing. Ojala and Thorpe then present Problem Based Learning (PBL) as the solution to many of these perceived ills, describing the positive characteristics of the approach and promoting its cultural fit with action sport environments and performers. In this paper we offer a different perspective, which questions the veracity of the data presented and the unquestioningly positive view of PBL as the answer. Our alternative, data-driven perspective suggests that action sport athletes are increasingly positive, or even desirous of good coaching, of which PBL is a possible approach; suitable for some athletes some of the time

Angular momentum exchange between coherent light and matter fields

Full, three dimensional, time-dependent simulations are presented demonstrating the quantized transfer of angular momentum to a Bose-Einstein condensate from a laser carrying orbital angular momentum in a Laguerre-Gaussian mode. The process is described in terms of coherent Bragg scattering of atoms from a chiral optical lattice. The transfer efficiency and the angular momentum content of the output coupled vortex state are analyzed and compared with a recent experiment.Comment: 4 pages, 4 figure

Fully Unintegrated Parton Correlation Functions and Factorization in Lowest Order Hard Scattering

Motivated by the need to correct the potentially large kinematic errors in approximations used in the standard formulation of perturbative QCD, we reformulate deeply inelastic lepton-proton scattering in terms of gauge invariant, universal parton correlation functions which depend on all components of parton four-momentum. Currently, different hard QCD processes are described by very different perturbative formalisms, each relying on its own set of kinematical approximations. In this paper we show how to set up formalism that avoids approximations on final-state momenta, and thus has a very general domain of applicability. The use of exact kinematics introduces a number of significant conceptual shifts already at leading order, and tightly constrains the formalism. We show how to define parton correlation functions that generalize the concepts of parton density, fragmentation function, and soft factor. After setting up a general subtraction formalism, we obtain a factorization theorem. To avoid complications with Ward identities the full derivation is restricted to abelian gauge theories; even so the resulting structure is highly suggestive of a similar treatment for non-abelian gauge theories.Comment: 44 pages, 69 figures typos fixed, clarifications and second appendix adde

Kinematics of Current Region Fragmentation in Semi-Inclusive Deeply Inelastic Scattering

Different kinematical regimes of semi-inclusive deeply inelastic scattering (SIDIS) processes correspond to different underlying partonic pictures, and it is important to understand the transition between them. This is particularly the case when there is sensitivity to intrinsic transverse momentum, in which case kinematical details can become especially important. We address the question of how to identify the current fragmentation region --- the kinematical regime where a factorization picture with fragmentation functions is appropriate. We distinguish this from soft and target fragmentation regimes. Our criteria are based on the kinematic regions used in derivations of factorization theorems. We argue that, when hard scales are of order a few GeVs, there is likely significant overlap between different rapidity regions that are normally understood to be distinct. We thus comment on the need to take this into account with more unified descriptions of SIDIS, which should span all rapidities for the produced hadron. Finally, we propose general criteria for estimating the proximity to the current region at large Q.Comment: 9 Pages, 5 figures; minor clarifications and corrections, version appearing in Physics Letters

In situ propellant production: Alternatives for Mars exploration

Current planning for the Space Exploration Initiative (SEI) recognizes the need for extraterrestrial resources to sustain long-term human presence and to attain some degree of self-sufficiency. As a practical matter, reducing the need to carry large supplies of propellant from Earth will make space exploration more economical. For nearly every round trip planned with conventional propulsion, the actual payload is only a small fraction - perhaps 10-15 percent - of the mass launched from Earth. The objective of this study was to analyze the potential application for SEI missions of propellants made exclusively from lunar or martian resources. Using such propellants could minimize or eliminate the cost of carrying propellant for surface excursion vehicles and return transfers through two high-energy maneuvers: Earth launch and trans-Mars injection. Certain chemical mono- and bipropellants are candidates for this approach; they could be recovered entirely from in situ resources on the Moon and Mars, without requiring a continuing Earth-based resupply of propellant constituents (e.g., fuel to mix with a locally obtained oxidizer) and, perhaps, with minimal need to resupply consumables (e.g., reagents or catalyst for process reactions). A complete assessment of the performance potential of these propellants must include the requirements for installation, operations, maintenance, and resupply of the chemical processing facility

All-order results for soft and collinear gluons

I briefly review some general features and some recent developments concerning the resummation of long-distance singularities in QCD and in more general non-abelian gauge theories. I emphasize the field-theoretical tools of the trade, and focus mostly on the exponentiation of infrared and collinear divergences in amplitudes, which underlies the resummation of large logarithms in the corresponding cross sections. I then describe some recent results concerning the conformal limit, notably the case of N = 4 superymmetric Yang-Mills theoryComment: 15 pages, invited talk presented at the 10th Workshop in High Energy Physics Phenomenology (WHEPP X), Chennai, India, January 200

Deregulation of the HOXA9/MEIS1 Axis in Acute Leukemia

Purpose of review HOXA9 is a homeodomain transcription factor that plays an essential role in normal hematopoiesis and acute leukemia, where its over expression is strongly correlated with poor prognosis. This review highlights recent advances in the understanding of genetic alterations leading to deregulation of HOXA9 and the downstream mechanisms of HOXA9-mediated transformation. Recent findings A variety of genetic alterations including MLL-translocations, NUP98-fusions, NPM1 mutations, CDX deregulation, and MOZ-fusions lead to high level HOXA9 expression in acute leukemias. The mechanisms resulting in HOXA9 over expression are beginning to be defined and represent attractive therapeutic targets. Small molecules targeting MLL-fusion protein complex members, such as DOT1L and menin, have shown promising results in animal models, and a DOT1L inhibitor is currently being tested in clinical trials. Essential HOXA9 cofactors and collaborators are also being identified, including transcription factors PU.1 and C/EBPα, which are required for HOXA9-driven leukemia. HOXA9 targets including IGF1, CDX4, INK4A/INK4B/ARF, mir-21 and mir-196b and many others provide another avenue for potential drug development. Summary HOXA9 deregulation underlies a large subset of aggressive acute leukemias. Understanding the mechanisms regulating the expression and activity of HOXA9, along with its critical downstream targets, shows promise for the development of more selective and effective leukemia therapies

Drell-Yan production at small q_T, transverse parton distributions and the collinear anomaly

Using methods from effective field theory, an exact all-order expression for the Drell-Yan cross section at small transverse momentum is derived directly in q_T space, in which all large logarithms are resummed. The anomalous dimensions and matching coefficients necessary for resummation at NNLL order are given explicitly. The precise relation between our result and the Collins-Soper-Sterman formula is discussed, and as a by-product the previously unknown three-loop coefficient A^(3) is obtained. The naive factorization of the cross section at small transverse momentum is broken by a collinear anomaly, which prevents a process-independent definition of x_T-dependent parton distribution functions. A factorization theorem is derived for the product of two such functions, in which the dependence on the hard momentum transfer is separated out. The remainder factors into a product of two functions of longitudinal momentum variables and x_T^2, whose renormalization-group evolution is derived and solved in closed form. The matching of these functions at small x_T onto standard parton distributions is calculated at O(alpha_s), while their anomalous dimensions are known to three loops.Comment: 32 pages, 2 figures; version to appear in Eur. Phys. J.