14 research outputs found
Parton distributions for the LHC run II
We present NNPDF3.0, the first set of parton distribution functions (PDFs)
determined with a methodology validated by a closure test. NNPDF3.0 uses a
global dataset including HERA-II deep-inelastic inclusive cross-sections, the
combined HERA charm data, jet production from ATLAS and CMS, vector boson
rapidity and transverse momentum distributions from ATLAS, CMS and LHCb, W+c
data from CMS and top quark pair production total cross sections from ATLAS and
CMS. Results are based on LO, NLO and NNLO QCD theory and also include
electroweak corrections. To validate our methodology, we show that PDFs
determined from pseudo-data generated from a known underlying law correctly
reproduce the statistical distributions expected on the basis of the assumed
experimental uncertainties. This closure test ensures that our methodological
uncertainties are negligible in comparison to the generic theoretical and
experimental uncertainties of PDF determination. This enables us to determine
with confidence PDFs at different perturbative orders and using a variety of
experimental datasets ranging from HERA-only up to a global set including the
latest LHC results, all using precisely the same validated methodology. We
explore some of the phenomenological implications of our results for the
upcoming 13 TeV Run of the LHC, in particular for Higgs production
cross-sections.Comment: 151 pages, 69 figures. More typos corrected: published versio
Characterization of Granulations of Calcium and Apatite in Serum as Pleomorphic Mineralo-Protein Complexes and as Precursors of Putative Nanobacteria
Calcium and apatite granulations are demonstrated here to form in both human and
fetal bovine serum in response to the simple addition of either calcium or
phosphate, or a combination of both. These granulations are shown to represent
precipitating complexes of protein and hydroxyapatite (HAP) that display marked
pleomorphism, appearing as round, laminated particles, spindles, and films.
These same complexes can be found in normal untreated serum, albeit at much
lower amounts, and appear to result from the progressive binding of serum
proteins with apatite until reaching saturation, upon which the mineralo-protein
complexes precipitate. Chemically and morphologically, these complexes are
virtually identical to the so-called nanobacteria (NB) implicated in numerous
diseases and considered unusual for their small size, pleomorphism, and the
presence of HAP. Like NB, serum granulations can seed particles upon transfer to
serum-free medium, and their main protein constituents include albumin,
complement components 3 and 4A, fetuin-A, and apolipoproteins A1 and B100, as
well as other calcium and apatite binding proteins found in the serum. However,
these serum mineralo-protein complexes are formed from the direct chemical
binding of inorganic and organic phases, bypassing the need for any biological
processes, including the long cultivation in cell culture conditions deemed
necessary for the demonstration of NB. Thus, these serum granulations may result
from physiologically inherent processes that become amplified with calcium
phosphate loading or when subjected to culturing in medium. They may be viewed
as simple mineralo-protein complexes formed from the deployment of
calcification-inhibitory pathways used by the body to cope with excess calcium
phosphate so as to prevent unwarranted calcification. Rather than representing
novel pathophysiological mechanisms or exotic lifeforms, these results indicate
that the entities described earlier as NB most likely originate from calcium and
apatite binding factors in the serum, presumably calcification inhibitors, that
upon saturation, form seeds for HAP deposition and growth. These calcium
granulations are similar to those found in organisms throughout nature and may
represent the products of more general calcium regulation pathways involved in
the control of calcium storage, retrieval, tissue deposition, and disposal