Hadron Spectra, Decays and Scattering Properties within Basis Light Front Quantization

We survey recent progress in calculating properties of the electron and hadrons within the Basis Light Front Quantization (BLFQ) approach. We include applications to electromagnetic and strong scattering processes in relativistic heavy ion collisions. We present an initial investigation into the glueball states by applying BLFQ with multigluon sectors, introducing future research possibilities on multi-quark and multi-gluon systems.Comment: Presented at LightCone 2017, Mumbai, Indi

Unlocking the potential of weberite-type metal fluorides in electrochemical energy storage

Sodium-ion batteries (NIBs) are a front-runner among the alternative battery technologies suggested for substituting the state-of-the-art lithium-ion batteries (LIBs). The specific energy of Na-ion batteries is significantly lower than that of LIBs, which is mainly due to the lower operating potentials and higher molecular weight of sodium insertion cathode materials. To compete with the high energy density of LIBs, high voltage cathode materials are required for NIBs. Here we report a theoretical investigation on weberite-type sodium metal fluorides (SMFs), a new class of high voltage and high energy density materials which are so far unexplored as cathode materials for NIBs. The weberite structure type is highly favorable for sodium-containing transition metal fluorides, with a large variety of transition metal combinations (M, M’) adopting the corresponding Na2MM’F7 structure. A series of known and hypothetical compounds with weberite-type structure were computationally investigated to evaluate their potential as cathode materials for NIBs. Weberite-type SMFs show two-dimensional pathways for Na+ diffusion with surprisingly low activation barriers. The high energy density combined with low diffusion barriers for Na+ makes this type of compounds promising candidates for cathode materials in NIBs

Efficacy of Chuanxiong Ding Tong Herbal Formula Granule in the Treatment and Prophylactic of Migraine Patients: A Randomized, Double-Blind, Multicenter, Placebo-Controlled Trial

Objective. To evaluate the efficacy of traditional Chinese herbal ChuanXiong Ding Tong herbal formula granule (CXDT-HFG) for migraine patients with “the Syndrome of Liver Wind and Blood Stasis.” Methods. 150 migraine patients were recruited and assigned randomly in a double-blind, placebo-controlled study to receive CXDT-HFG (n=99) plus necessary analgesics, or placebo (n=51) plus necessary analgesics for 16 weeks (12 weeks’ intervention and 4 weeks’ follow up). Outcome measures included migraine days, frequency of migraine attacks, analgesics consumption for acute treatment, and the proportion of responders as well as the visual analogue scale (VAS) scores and intensity for pain. Results. Compared with the placebo group, the CXDT-HFG group showed significant reduction in migraine days and attacks frequency at week 12 and follow-up period (P0.05). Conclusion. CXDT-HFG was more effective than placebo in decreasing days of migraine attacks, frequency, VAS scores, and relieving pain intensity for migraine patients

Baryons in a light front approach

We present a model for baryons based on three constituent quarks using light-front holography together with basis light-front quantization (BLFQ). The work is generalized from the method which originally developed for meson systems using a constituent quark and an antiquark. We construct an effective 3-body Hamiltonian, which consists of a transverse confining interaction based on the Ads/QCD soft-wall model, and a longitudinal confining interaction which was first applied to mesons. We employ this model for the proton by calculating its form factor F1(q2). The results are compared with experimental measurements and other theoretical methods. We develop generalized Jacobi coordinates, as well as a generalized longitudinal confinement, that will enable this model to be generalized to systems with more than three constituent quarks.</p

Baryons in a light front approach

We present a model for baryons based on three constituent quarks using light-front holography together with basis light-front quantization (BLFQ). The work is generalized from the method which originally developed for meson systems using a constituent quark and an antiquark. We construct an effective 3-body Hamiltonian, which consists of a transverse confining interaction based on the Ads/QCD soft-wall model, and a longitudinal confining interaction which was first applied to mesons. We employ this model for the proton by calculating its form factor F1(q2). The results are compared with experimental measurements and other theoretical methods. We develop generalized Jacobi coordinates, as well as a generalized longitudinal confinement, that will enable this model to be generalized to systems with more than three constituent quarks

Liver proteomic analysis reveals the key proteins involved in host immune response to sepsis

Background Sepsis is a serious infection-induced response in the host, which can result in life-threatening organ dysfunction. It is of great importance to unravel the relationship between sepsis and host immune response and its mechanisms of action. Liver is one of the most vulnerable organs in sepsis, however, the specific pathogenesis of septic liver injury has not been well understood at the protein level. Methods A total of 12 healthy Sprague–Dawley (SD) male rats aged from 6 to 8 weeks were adaptively housed in individual cages in the specific pathogen free animal room. These lab rats were grouped into two groups: treatment (N = 9) and control (N = 3) groups; only three mice from the treatment group survived and were used for subsequent experiments. A TMT-based proteomic analysis for liver tissue was performed in the septic rat model. Results A total of 37,012 unique peptides were identified, and then 6,166 proteins were determined, among which 5,701 were quantifiable. Compared to the healthy control group, the septic rat group exhibited 162 upregulated and 103 downregulated differentially expressed proteins (DEPs). The upregulated and downregulated DEPs were the most significantly enriched into the complement and coagulation cascades and metabolic pathways. Protein-protein interaction (PPI) analysis further revealed that the upregulated and downregulated DEPs each clustered in a PPI network. Several highly connected upregulated and downregulated DEPs were also enriched into the complement and coagulation cascades pathways and metabolic pathways, respectively. The parallel reaction monitoring (PRM) results of the selected DEPs were consistent with the results of the TMT analysis, supporting the proteomic data. Conclusion Our findings highlight the roles of complement and coagulation cascades and metabolic pathways that may play vital roles in the host immune response. The DEPs may serve as clinically potential treatment targets for septic liver injury

Fractional Flow Reserve Estimated at Coronary CT Angiography in Intermediate Lesions: Comparison of Diagnostic Accuracy of Different Methods to Determine Coronary Flow Distribution.

Purpose To compare the diagnostic accuracy of different computed tomographic (CT) fractional flow reserve (FFR) algorithms for vessels with intermediate stenosis. Materials and Methods This cross-sectional HIPAA-compliant and human research committee-approved study applied a four-step CT FFR algorithm in 61 patients (mean age, 69 years ± 10; age range, 29-89 years) with a lesion of intermediate-diameter stenosis (25%-69%) at CT angiography who underwent FFR measurement within 90 days. The per-lesion diagnostic performance of CT FFR was tested for three different approaches to estimate blood flow distribution for CT FFR calculation. The first two, the Murray law and the Huo-Kassab rule, used coronary anatomy; the third used contrast material opacification gradients. CT FFR algorithms and CT angiography percentage diameter stenosis (DS) measurements were compared by using the area under the receiver operating characteristic curve (AUC) to detect FFRs of 0.8 or lower. Results Twenty-five lesions (41%) had FFRs of 0.8 or lower. The AUC of CT FFR determination by using contrast material gradients (AUC = 0.953) was significantly higher than that of the Huo-Kassab (AUC = 0.882, P = .043) and Murray law models (AUC = 0.871, P = .033). All three AUCs were higher than that for 50% or greater DS at CT angiography (AUC = 0.596, P &lt; .001). Correlation of CT FFR with FFR was highest for gradients (Spearman ρ = 0.80), followed by the Huo-Kassab rule (ρ = 0.68) and Murray law (ρ = 0.67) models. All CT FFR algorithms had small biases, ranging from -0.015 (Murray) to -0.049 (Huo-Kassab). Limits of agreement were narrowest for gradients (-0.182, 0.147), followed by the Huo-Kassab rule (-0.246, 0.149) and the Murray law (-0.285, 0.256) models. Conclusion Clinicians can perform CT FFR by using a four-step approach on site to accurately detect hemodynamically significant intermediate-stenosis lesions. Estimating blood flow distribution by using coronary contrast opacification variations may improve CT FFR accuracy. © RSNA, 2017 Online supplemental material is available for this article

Hadron Spectra, Decays and Scattering Properties Within Basis Light Front Quantization

We survey recent progress in calculating properties of the electron and hadrons within the basis light front quantization (BLFQ) approach. We include applications to electromagnetic and strong scattering processes in relativistic heavy ion collisions. We present an initial investigation into the glueball states by applying BLFQ with multigluon sectors, introducing future research possibilities on multi-quark and multi-gluon systems.This is a manuscript of an article published as Vary, James P., Lekha Adhikari, Guangyao Chen, Shaoyang Jia, Meijian Li, Yang Li, Pieter Maris et al. "Hadron Spectra, Decays and Scattering Properties Within Basis Light Front Quantization." Few-Body Systems 59, no. 4 (2018): 56. The final publication is available at Springer via DOI: 10.1007/s00601-018-1356-0. Posted with permission.</p