10 research outputs found
Model of Centauro and strangelet production in heavy ion collisions
We discuss the phenomenological model of Centauro event production in
relativistic nucleus-nucleus collisions. This model makes quantitative
predictions for kinematic observables, baryon number and mass of the Centauro
fireball and its decay products. Centauros decay mainly to nucleons, strange
hyperons and possibly strangelets. Simulations of Centauro events for the
CASTOR detector in Pb-Pb collisions at LHC energies are performed. The
signatures of these events are discussed in detail.Comment: 19 pages, LaTeX+revtex4, 14 eps-figures and 3 table
CASTOR: The ALICE forward detector for identification of Centauros and Strangelets in Nucleus-Nucleus Collisions at the LHC
The physics motivation for a very forward detector for the ALICE heavy ion
experiment at the CERN LHC is discussed. A phenomenological model describing
the formation and decay of a Centauro fireball in nucleus-nucleus collisions is
presented. The CASTOR detector which is aimed to measure the hadronic and
photonic content of an interaction and to identify deeply penetrating objects
in the very forward, baryon-rich phase space 5.6 < eta < 7.2 in an
event-by-event mode is described. Results of simulations of the expected
response of the calorimeter, and in particular to the passage of strangelets,
are presented.Comment: Presented at XXVIII Int. Symp. on Multiparticle Dynamics, Delphi,
6-11 Sept. 1998. 9 pages, 11 figure
Chemical equilibration of strangeness
Thermal models are very useful in the understanding of particle production in
general and especially in the case of strangeness. We summarize the assumptions
which go into a thermal model calculation and which differ in the application
of various groups. We compare the different results to each other. Using our
own calculation we discuss the validity of the thermal model and the amount of
strangeness equilibration at CERN-SPS energies. Finally the implications of the
thermal analysis on the reaction dynamics are discussed.Comment: 23 pages, LaTeX (figures included); Talk given at the Int. Symposium
on Strangeness in Quark Matter 1997, Santorini (Greece), April 199
Probing the boundaries of the Hadronic Phase through a Strangeness including Statistical Bootstrap Model (S-SBM)
A recently constructed strangeness-including Statistical Bootstrap Model
(S-SBM), which defines the limits of the hadronic phase and provides for a
phase beyond, is further extended so as to include a factor that describes
strangeness suppression. The model is then used to analyse the multiplicity
data from collision experiments in which the colliding entities form isospin
symmetric systems, the primary focus being on S+S interactions (NA35
collaboration). An optimal set of thermodynamical variables is extracted
through a fit to both the inclusive full phase space and midrapidity data. The
assumption that the measured particles originate from a thermally and
partial-chemically equilibrated source described by the S-SBM is satisfactorily
established. The proximity of the thermodynamical variables extracted from the
S+S data to the limits of the hadronic phase is systematically investigated.
Finally, experimental data from proton-antiproton collisions (UA5
collaboration) are similarly analysed.Comment: 39 pages, 17 figures, all the figures joined in one file. Submitted
in Phys. Rev.
Evaluation of Plasma Trace Elements in Different Stages of Nonalcoholic Fatty Liver Disease
Nonalcoholic fatty liver disease (NAFLD) is considered as the hepatic manifestation of metabolic syndrome. Its global prevalence is estimated between 25 and 45%, occurring mainly in overweight individuals with unhealthy dietary habits and low levels of physical activity. Many studies have investigated the association of trace elements with liver diseases, though not with NAFLD. In this work, we investigated trace element levels in plasma of patients and not-patients and their possible association with various stages of the disease. Inductively coupled plasma mass spectrometry (ICP-MS) was employed for the determination of As, Ba, Cd, Co, Cs, Cu, Fe, Rb, Sr, Tl, and Zn in the plasma of 189 free-living residents of Athens, Greece, either healthy or patients with mild, moderate, or severe NAFLD. The disease was diagnosed by abdominal ultrasound; blood samples were analyzed for total, HDL and LDL cholesterol, triglycerides, fasting glucose, fasting insulin, and liver enzymes, namely aspartate aminotransferase (AST), alanine transaminase (ALT), and γ-glutamyltransferase (Gamma-GT); insulin resistance was determined by the homeostatic model assessment (HOMA-IR). Zinc exhibited a statistically significant negative association with the severity of the disease, while cesium showed a statistically significant positive association. Moreover, thallium and iron were inversely associated with insulin levels. Trace element determination in plasma could be useful for establishing relationships with NAFLD status of patients. Further research is required for the verification and interpretation of these findings. © 2019, Springer Science+Business Media, LLC, part of Springer Nature