Meson-photon transition form factors and resonance cross-sections in e+e−e^+ e^- collisions

Meson--photon--photon transition form factors for S-, P-, and D-wave states are calculated, the meson being treated as a non-relativistic heavy-quark--antiquark pair. The full dependence on both photon virtualities is included. Cross-section formulas for charge-conjugation even mesons with J^P = 0^-, 0^+, 1^+, 2^+, and 2^- in electron--positron collisions are presented and numerical results for LEP energies are given. In particular, we find two-photon event rates for \chi_{\rc 1}, \eta_{\rc}(2S), and \eta_{\rb}(1S) within reach of LEP. With minor modifications to incorporate SU(3)-flavour breaking we estimate rates for 18 light mesons as well, based on the observation that their two-photon decay widths agree remarkably well with measured data. Finally we point out that e^+ e^- cross sections for 1^+ states do not vanish at low Q^2, the Landau--Yang suppression factors of the two-photon cross sections being compensated by the photon propagators

Two-photon mediated resonance production in e+e- collisions: cross sections and density matrices

Earlier described model amplitudes are used in this paper to evaluate both cross sections and density matrices for two-photon mediated resonance production in e^+e^- collisions. All 25 q\bar{q} low-lying ^1S_0, ^3P_J and ^1D_2 resonances can thus be treated. Two independent methods are described to obtain the resonance production density matrices and cross sections. These density matrices combined with a resonance decay density matrix give the detailed angular distributions of the resonance decay products. For two particular decays, \chi_{c2},\chi_{c1}\to\gamma J/\psi the details are given. Several numerical results are presented as well.Comment: 27 pages, 4 figure

Staging Laparoscopy for Hilar Cholangiocarcinoma: Is it Still Worthwhile?

This study was designed to evaluate the benefit of staging laparoscopy (SL) in patients with suspected hilar cholangiocarcinoma (HCCA) during the past 10 years. Only 50-60% of patients with HCCA who undergo laparotomy are ultimately amenable to a potentially curative resection. In a previous study, we recommended routine use of SL to prevent unnecessary laparotomies. The accuracy of imaging techniques, however, has significantly improved during the past decade, which is likely to impact the yield and accuracy of SL. From 2000 to 2010, 195 patients with suspected HCCA were analyzed. The yield and accuracy of SL were calculated by dividing total number of avoided laparotomies by the total number of laparoscopies or by all patients with unresectable disease, respectively. Factors associated with better yield and accuracy were assessed. Of 195 patients with HCCA, 175 underwent SL. The yield of SL was 14% and the accuracy was 32%. Operative morbidity of SL was 3%, and operative morbidity of laparotomy for unresectable disease was 33%. No clear factors that influenced the yield of SL were found. Overall yield and accuracy of SL for HCCA in the present series decreased to 14% and 32%, respectively, compared with earlier reports. This finding is likely the result of improved imaging techniques that evolved during the past decade. The place of SL in the workup of patients with HCCA needs to be reconsidered, and one should decide whether the declining additional value of SL still outweighs the drawbacks of S

Atypical Glycolysis in Clostridium Thermocellum

Cofactor specificities of glycolytic enzymes in Clostridium thermocellum were studied with cellobiose-grown cells from batch cultures. Intracellular glucose was phosphorylated by glucokinase using GTP rather than ATP. Although phosphofructokinase typically uses ATP as a phosphoryl donor, we found only pyrophosphate (PPi)-linked activity. Phosphoglycerate kinase used both GDP and ADP as phosphoryl acceptors. In agreement with the absence of a pyruvate kinase sequence in the C. thermocellum genome, no activity of this enzyme could be detected. Also, the annotated pyruvate phosphate dikinase (ppdk) is not crucial for the generation of pyruvate from phosphoenolpyruvate (PEP), as deletion of the ppdk gene did not substantially change cellobiose fermentation. Instead pyruvate formation is likely to proceed via a malate shunt with GDP-linked PEP carboxykinase, NADH-linked malate dehydrogenase, and NADP-linked malic enzyme. High activities of these enzymes were detected in extracts of cellobiose-grown cells. Our results thus show that GTP is consumed while both GTP and ATP are produced in glycolysis of C. thermocellum. The requirement for PP i in this pathway can be satisfied only to a small extent by biosynthetic reactions, in con- trast to what is generally assumed for a PPi-dependent glycolysis in anaerobic heterotrophs. Metabolic network analysis showed that most of the required PPi must be generated via ATP or GTP hydrolysis exclusive of that which happens during biosynthesis. Experimental proof for the necessity of an alternative mechanism of PPi generation was obtained by studying the glycolysis in washed-cell suspensions in which biosynthesis was absent. Under these conditions, cells still fermented cellobiose to ethanol

Exogenous hydrogen sulfide gas does not induce hypothermia in normoxic mice

Hydrogen sulfide (H2S, 80 ppm) gas in an atmosphere of 17.5% oxygen reportedly induces suspended animation in mice; a state analogous to hibernation that entails hypothermia and hypometabolism. However, exogenous H2S in combination with 17.5% oxygen is able to induce hypoxia, which in itself is a trigger of hypometabolism/hypothermia. Using non-invasive thermographic imaging, we demonstrated that mice exposed to hypoxia (5% oxygen) reduce their body temperature to ambient temperature. In contrast, animals exposed to 80 ppm H2S under normoxic conditions did not exhibit a reduction in body temperature compared to normoxic controls. In conclusion, mice induce hypothermia in response to hypoxia but not H2S gas, which contradicts the reported findings and putative contentions

Some properties of NaBaPO[4]:Eu luminophore surface

There is an increased interest to the compounds of the ABPO[4] type, activated by europium, where A and B are mono- and divalent cations, because of their luminescent properties. In this paper NaBaPO[4]:Eu{2+}phosphors with different europium content were synthesized by SHS method. It is shown that phosphor surface becomes less alkaline (pHiis changes in the interval 10,7-9,5) with an increase in the concentration of an introduced activator (5-12%). Two bands with maxima wavelength of approximately 425 and 490 nm are observed in the luminescent spectra (the positions of maxima differ somewhat in different spectra). The relationship between acid-base and luminescent properties of the investigated phosphor samples is traced

Ontsmetten met Easy Ice Clean ("Coldblast") "Proof of principle"

In dit onderzoek is er gekeken naar de potentie en het proof of principle van de Cold Jet techniek van Easy Ice Clean in de tuinbouw. Met dit onderzoek is getracht te beantwoorden of de Cold Jet techniek potentie heeft als alternatieve ontsmettingstechniek voor chemische middelen. De techniek die in dit onderzoek een rol speelde is een techniek die gebruik maakt van droogijs (bevroren CO2). Droogijspellets worden onder grote druk op een te reinigen oppervlak gestraald. Als gevolg van de koude shock en de kracht van de straal kunnen oppervlakken worden gereinigd en misschien wel worden ontsmet. Deze techniek kan een milieuvriendelijke oplossing zijn voor het reinigen van oppervlakken zoals tafels, vloeren, materialen en kassen bij uiteenlopende glastuinbouwteelten. Op basis van het uitgevoerde experiment kan worden geconcludeerd dat de droogijsstraal techniek een onvoldoende ontsmettend effect heeft om een alternatief te zijn voor chemische ontsmettingsmiddelen. De techniek heeft potentie in de glastuinbouw bij het schoonmaken van ernstig vervuilde oppervlakken en complexe apparatuur en installaties. Ook installaties en apparatuur die gevoelig zijn voor water (corrosie) kunnen met deze methode wel grondig worden schoon gemaakt. Ook kan de techniek in combinatie met andere aanvullende technieken wel leiden tot een schoon én ontsmet oppervlak