Jet Fragmentation via Recombination of Parton Showers

We study hadron production in jets by applying quark recombination to jet shower partons. With the jet showers obtained from PYTHIA and augmented by additional non-perturbative effects, we compute hadron spectra in e+ + e-collisions at sqrt(s)=200 GeV. Including contributions from resonance decays, we find that the resulting transverse momentum spectra for pions, kaons, and protons reproduce reasonably those from the string fragmentation as implemented in PYTHIA.Comment: 4 pages, 3 figures, contribution to Nucleus-Nucleus Collisions 201

Origins of ferromagnetism in transition-metal doped Si

We present results of the magnetic, structural and chemical characterizations of Mn<sup>+</sup>-implanted Si displaying <i>n</i>-type semiconducting behavior and ferromagnetic ordering with Curie temperature,T<sub>C</sub> well above room temperature. The temperature-dependent magnetization measured by superconducting quantum device interference (SQUID) from 5 K to 800 K was characterized by three different critical temperatures (T*<sub>C</sub>~45 K, T<sub>C1</sub>~630-650 K and T<sub>C2</sub>~805-825 K). Their origins were investigated using dynamic secondary mass ion spectroscopy (SIMS) and transmission electron microscopy (TEM) techniques, including electron energy loss spectroscopy (EELS), Z-contrast STEM (scanning TEM) imaging and electron diffraction. We provided direct evidences of the presence of a small amount of Fe and Cr impurities which were unintentionally doped into the samples together with the Mn<sup>+</sup> ions, as well as the formation of Mn-rich precipitates embedded in a Mn-poor matrix. The observed T*<sub>C</sub> is attributed to the Mn<sub>4</sub>Si<sub>7</sub> precipitates identified by electron diffraction. Possible origins of and are also discussed. Our findings raise questions regarding the origin of the high ferromagnetism reported in many material systems without a careful chemical analysis

Practice Patterns and Trends in the Use of Medical Therapy in Patients Undergoing Percutaneous Coronary Intervention in Ontario

Background Clinical guidelines emphasize medical therapy as the initial approach to the management of patients with stable coronary artery disease (CAD). However, the extent to which medical therapy is applied before and after percutaneous coronary intervention (PCI) in contemporary clinical practice is uncertain. We evaluated medication use for patients with stable CAD undergoing PCI, and assessed whether the COURAGE study altered medication use in the Canadian healthcare system. Methods and Results A population‐based cohort of 23 680 older patients \u3e65 years old) with stable CAD undergoing PCI in Ontario between 2003 and 2010 was assembled. Optimal medical therapy (OMT) was defined as prescription for a β‐blocker, statin, and either angiotensin‐converting enzyme inhibitor or angiotensin II receptor blocker in the 90 days before PCI, and the same medications plus thienopyridine 90 days following PCI. Prior to PCI, 8023 (33.9%) patients were receiving OMT, 11 891 (50.2%) were on suboptimal therapy, and 3766 (15.9%) were not prescribed any medications of interest. There was significant improvement in medical therapy following PCI (OMT: 11 149 [47.1%], suboptimal therapy: 11 591 [48.9%], and none: 940 [4.0%], PPP\u3c0.001). Conclusions OMT was prescribed in about 1 in 3 patients prior to PCI and less than half after PCI. In contrast to the anticipated impact of COURAGE, we found lower rates of medication use in PCI patients after its publication

Antrodia cinnamomea reduces obesity and modulates the gut microbiota in high-fat diet-fed mice.

BackgroundObesity is associated with gut microbiota dysbiosis, disrupted intestinal barrier and chronic inflammation. Given the high and increasing prevalence of obesity worldwide, anti-obesity treatments that are safe, effective and widely available would be beneficial. We examined whether the medicinal mushroom Antrodia cinnamomea may reduce obesity in mice fed with a high-fat diet (HFD).MethodsMale C57BL/6J mice were fed a HFD for 8 weeks to induce obesity and chronic inflammation. The mice were treated with a water extract of A. cinnamomea (WEAC), and body weight, fat accumulation, inflammation markers, insulin sensitivity and the gut microbiota were monitored.ResultsAfter 8 weeks, the mean body weight of HFD-fed mice was 39.8±1.2 g compared with 35.8±1.3 g for the HFD+1% WEAC group, corresponding to a reduction of 4 g or 10% of body weight (P<0.0001). WEAC supplementation reduced fat accumulation and serum triglycerides in a statistically significant manner in HFD-fed mice. WEAC also reversed the effects of HFD on inflammation markers (interleukin-1β, interleukin-6, tumor necrosis factor-α), insulin resistance and adipokine production (leptin and adiponectin). Notably, WEAC increased the expression of intestinal tight junctions (zonula occludens-1 and occludin) and antimicrobial proteins (Reg3g and lysozyme C) in the small intestine, leading to reduced blood endotoxemia. Finally, WEAC modulated the composition of the gut microbiota, reducing the Firmicutes/Bacteroidetes ratio and increasing the level of Akkermansia muciniphila and other bacterial species associated with anti-inflammatory properties.ConclusionsSupplementation with A. cinnamomea produces anti-obesogenic, anti-inflammatory and antidiabetic effects in HFD-fed mice by maintaining intestinal integrity and modulating the gut microbiota

Hadron widths in mixed-phase matter

We derive classically an expression for a hadron width in a two-phase region of hadron gas and quark-gluon plasma (QGP). The presence of QGP gives hadrons larger widths than they would have in a pure hadron gas. We find that the $\phi$ width observed in a central Au+Au collision at $\sqrt{s}=200$ GeV/nucleon is a few MeV greater than the width in a pure hadron gas. The part of observed hadron widths due to QGP is approximately proportional to $(dN/dy)^{-1/3}$.Comment: 8 pages, latex, no figures, KSUCNR-002-9

Lymphotoxins and cytomegalovirus cooperatively induce interferon-beta, establishing host-virus détente

Tumor necrosis factor (TNF)-related cytokines regulate cell death and survival and provide strong selective pressures for viruses, such as cytomegalovirus (CMV), to evolve counterstrategies in order to persist in immune-competent hosts. Signaling by the lymphotoxin (LT)-β receptor or TNF receptor-1, but not Fas or TRAIL receptors, inhibits the cytopathicity and replication of human CMV by a nonapoptotic, reversible process that requires nuclear factor κB (NF-κB)-dependent induction of interferon-β (IFN-β). Efficient induction of IFN-β requires virus infection and LT signaling, demonstrating the need for both host and viral factors in the curtailment of viral replication without cellular elimination. LTα-deficient mice and LTβR-Fc transgenic mice were profoundly susceptible to murine CMV infection. Together, these results reveal an essential and conserved role for LTs in establishing host defense to CMV

The Color-Octet intrinsic charm in η′\eta^\prime and B→η′XB\to \eta^\prime X decays

Color-octet mechanism for the decay B\to \eta^\prime X is proposed to explain the large branching ratio of Br(B\to \eta^\prime X)\sim 1\times 10^{-3} recently announced by CLEO. We argue that the inclusive \eta^\prime production in B decays may dominantly come from the Cabbibo favored b\to (\bar c c)_8s process where \bar c c pair is in a color-octet configuration, and followed by the nonperturbative transition (\bar c c)_8\to \eta^\prime X. The color-octet intrinsic charm component in the higher Fock states of \eta^\prime is crucial and is induced by the strong coupling of \eta^\prime to gluons via QCD axial anomaly.Comment: 9 pages, RevTex, 1 PS figur

Dielectric behaviour of graded spherical cells with an intrinsic dispersion

The dielectric properties of single-shell spherical cells with an intrinsic dielectric dispersion has been investigated. By means of the dielectric dispersion spectral representation (DDSR) for the Clausius-Mossotti (CM) factor, we express the dispersion strengths as well as the characteristic frequencies of the CM factor analytically in terms of the parameters of the cell model. These analytic expressions enable us to assess the influence of various model parameters on the electrokinetics of cells. Various interesting behaviours have been reported. We extend our considerations to a more realistic cell model with a graded core, which can have spatial gradients in the conductivity and/or permittivity. To this end, we address the effects of a graded profile in a small-gradient expansion in the framework of DDSR.Comment: accepted by European Physical Journal