66 research outputs found
There are no abnormal solutions of the BetheSalpeter equation in the static model
The four-point Green's function of static QED, where a fermion and an
antifermion are located at fixed space positions, is calculated in covariant
gauges. The bound state spectrum does not display any abnormal state
corresponding to excitations of the relative time. The equation that was
established by Mugibayashi in this model and which has abnormal solutions does
not coincide with the BetheSalpeter equation. Gauge transformation from the
Coulomb gauge also confirms the absence of abnormal solutions in the
BetheSalpeter equation.Comment: 11 pages, late
Variation of Grain Yield, Grain Protein Content and Nitrogen Use Efficiency Components under Different Nitrogen Rates in Mediterranean Durum Wheat Genotypes
Nitrogen (N) is a crucial nutrient for plant growth and development. To optimize agricultural environments, N fertilizers represent a critical tool to regulate crop productivity. The improvement of nitrogen use efficiency (NUE) represents a promising tool that may enable cereal production to meet future food demand. Wheat reported contrasting behaviors in N utilization showing specific abilities depending on genotype. This study selected two landraces and two improved genotypes from Northern Africa to investigate grain yield (GY), grain protein content (GPC) and NUE. Plants were grown under three levels of N supply: 0, 75, 150 kg N ha−1 and for two consecutive years. Results reported a better NUE (0.40 kg.kg N−1) obtained under 150 kg N ha−1, while N utilization efficiency (NUtE) showed a 13% increase using 75 kg N ha−1 compared with 150 kg N ha−1. Under low nitrogen rate (0 N), crop N supply (CNS) and N uptake efficiency (NUpE) were shown as determinant factors for improved genotypes GY (R2 = 0.72), while NUtE represented the most determinant component for GPC in landraces (R2 = 0.92). Multivariate regression models explained the dependence in GPC on NUE, NUpE, and NUtE. In conclusion, our results recognize GPC and NUtE as suitable selection traits to identify durum wheat with higher NUE
Isospin breaking corrections to low-energy pi-K scattering
We evaluate the matrix elements for the processes pi^0 K^0 -> pi^0 K^0 and
pi^- K^+ -> pi^0 K^0 in the presence of isospin breaking terms at leading and
next-to-leading order. As a direct application the releveant combination of the
S-wave scattering lengths involved in the pion-kaon atom lifetime is
determined. We discuss the sensitivity of the results with respect to the input
parameters.Comment: 33 pages, plain latex, 2 figure
The Relativistic N-body Problem in a Separable Two-Body Basis
We use Dirac's constraint dynamics to obtain a Hamiltonian formulation of the
relativistic N-body problem in a separable two-body basis in which the
particles interact pair-wise through scalar and vector interactions. The
resultant N-body Hamiltonian is relativistically covariant. It can be easily
separated in terms of the center-of-mass and the relative motion of any
two-body subsystem. It can also be separated into an unperturbed Hamiltonian
with a residual interaction. In a system of two-body composite particles, the
solutions of the unperturbed Hamiltonian are relativistic two-body internal
states, each of which can be obtained by solving a relativistic
Schr\"odinger-like equation. The resultant two-body wave functions can be used
as basis states to evaluate reaction matrix elements in the general N-body
problem. We prove a relativistic version of the post-prior equivalence which
guarantees a unique evaluation of the reaction matrix element, independent of
the ways of separating the Hamiltonian into unperturbed and residual
interactions. Since an arbitrary reaction matrix element involves composite
particles in motion, we show explicitly how such matrix elements can be
evaluated in terms of the wave functions of the composite particles and the
relevant Lorentz transformations.Comment: 42 pages, 2 figures, in LaTe
First measurement of the atom lifetime
The goal of the DIRAC experiment at CERN (PS212) is to measure the
atom lifetime with 10% precision. Such a measurement would yield a
precision of 5% on the value of the -wave scattering lengths
combination . Based on part of the collected data we present a first
result on the lifetime, s, and
discuss the major systematic errors. This lifetime corresponds to
.Comment: 18 pages, 6 figure
Barriers to Non-Viral Vector-Mediated Gene Delivery in the Nervous System
Efficient methods for cell line transfection are well described, but, for primary neurons, a high-yield method different from those relying on viral vectors is lacking. Viral transfection has several drawbacks, such as the complexity of vector preparation, safety concerns, and the generation of immune and inflammatory responses when used in vivo. However, one of the main problems for the use of non-viral gene vectors for neuronal transfection is their low efficiency when compared with viral vectors. Transgene expression, or siRNA delivery mediated by non-viral vectors, is the result of multiple processes related to cellular membrane crossing, intracellular traffic, and/or nuclear delivery of the genetic material cargo. This review will deal with the barriers that different nanoparticles (cationic lipids, polyethyleneimine, dendrimers and carbon nanotubes) must overcome to efficiently deliver their cargo to central nervous system cells, including internalization into the neurons, interaction with intracellular organelles such as lysosomes, and transport across the nuclear membrane of the neuron in the case of DNA transfection. Furthermore, when used in vivo, the nanoparticles should efficiently cross the blood-brain barrier to reach the target cells in the brain
In Vivo Methods to Study Uptake of Nanoparticles into the Brain
Several in vivo techniques have been developed to study and measure the uptake of CNS compounds into the brain. With these techniques, various parameters can be determined after drug administration, including the blood-to-brain influx constant (Kin), the permeability-surface area (PS) product, and the brain uptake index (BUI). These techniques have been mostly used for drugs that are expected to enter the brain via transmembrane diffusion or by carrier-mediated transcytosis. Drugs that have limitations in entering the brain via such pathways have been encapsulated in nanoparticles (based on lipids or synthetic polymers) to enhance brain uptake. Nanoparticles are different from CNS compounds in size, composition and uptake mechanisms. This has led to different methods and approaches to study brain uptake in vivo. Here we discuss the techniques generally used to measure nanoparticle uptake in addition to the techniques used for CNS compounds. Techniques include visualization methods, behavioral tests, and quantitative methods
Detection of atoms with the DIRAC spectrometer at CERN
The goal of the DIRAC experiment at CERN is to measure with high precision
the lifetime of the atom (), which is of order
s, and thus to determine the s-wave -scattering
lengths difference . atoms are detected through the
characteristic features of pairs from the atom break-up
(ionization) in the target. We report on a first high statistics atomic data
sample obtained from p Ni interactions at 24 GeV/ proton momentum and
present the methods to separate the signal from the background.Comment: 19 pages, 12 figures, 1 tabl
QCD and strongly coupled gauge theories : challenges and perspectives
We highlight the progress, current status, and open challenges of QCD-driven physics, in theory and in experiment. We discuss how the strong interaction is intimately connected to a broad sweep of physical problems, in settings ranging from astrophysics and cosmology to strongly coupled, complex systems in particle and condensed-matter physics, as well as to searches for physics beyond the Standard Model. We also discuss how success in describing the strong interaction impacts other fields, and, in turn, how such subjects can impact studies of the strong interaction. In the course of the work we offer a perspective on the many research streams which flow into and out of QCD, as well as a vision for future developments.Peer reviewe
- …