J/ψJ/\psi Production in p+pp+p, d+Aud+Au, and Cu+CuCu+Cu Collisions at RHIC

PHENIX results for $J/\psi$ production in $p+p$, $d+Au$, and $Cu+Cu$ collisions at $\sqrt{s_{NN}}=200$ GeV are presented.Comment: 3 pages, 3 figures, Proceedings for contributed talk at 2005 Particles and Nuclei International Conference (PANIC05

Simulations of the nEDM@SNS light collection system efficiency

A system for collecting the scintillation light produced by the capture process of ultra-cold neutrons (UCN) on polarized $^{3}$He is discussed and results from simulations of its performance are presented. This system will be implemented in nEDM@SNS, the experiment searching for the neutron electric dipole moment (nEDM) at the Spallation Neutron Source (SNS) at Oak Ridge National Laboratory. Simulation results show that the light collection system collects on average 17 photoelectrons per UCN-$^{3}$He capture event (sufficient to generate a robust signal), reconstructs the event location in the beam direction to approximately 3 cm accuracy, detects capture events with a high and spatially uniform efficiency (0.95 with 1% variation), and rejects greater than 50% of beta decay background events.Comment: 14 pages, 13 figures. Submitted to Journal of Instrumentatio

Inhibition of endothelial activation: A new way to treat cerebral malaria?

Background: Malaria is still a major public health problem, partly because the pathogenesis of its major complication, cerebral malaria (CM), remains incompletely understood. However tumor necrosis factor (TNF) is thought to play a key role in the development of this neurological syndrome, as well as lymphotoxin α (LT). Methods and Findings: Using an in vitro model of CM based on human brain-derived endothelial cells (HBEC-5i), we demonstrate the anti-inflammatory effect of LMP-420, a 2-NH2-6-Cl-9-[(5- dihydroxyboryl)-pentyl] purine that is a transcriptional inhibitor of TNF. When added before or concomitantly to TNF, LMP-420 inhibits endothelial cell (EC) activation, i.e., the up-regulation of both ICAM-1 and VCAM-1 on HBEC-5i surfaces. Subsequently, LMP-420 abolishes the cytoadherence of ICAM-1-specific Plasmodium falciparum-parasitized red blood cells on these EC. Identical but weaker effects are observed when LMP-420 is added with LT. LMP-420 also causes a dramatic reduction of HBEC-5i vesiculation induced by TNF or LT stimulation, as assessed by microparticle release. Conclusion: These data provide evidence for a strong in vitro anti-inflammatory effect of LMP-420 and suggest that targeting host cell pathogenic mechanisms might provide a new therapeutic approach to improving the outcome of CM patients. © 2005 Wassmer et al

Search for Free Decay of Negative Pions in Water and Light Materials

We report on a search for the free decay component of pi- stopped in water and light materials. A non-zero value of this would be an indication of anomalous nu_e contamination to the nu_e and nu_mu_bar production at stopped-pion neutrino facilities. No free decay component of pi- was observed in water, Beryllium, and Aluminum, for which upper limits were established at 8.2E-4, 3.2E-3, and 7.7E-3, respectively

“Yes, and …” Exploring the Future of Learning Analytics in Medical Education

This Conversations Starter article presents a selected research abstract from the 2017 Association of American Medical Colleges Northeastern Region Group on Educational Affairs annual spring meeting. The abstract is paired with the integrative commentary of three experts who shared their thoughts stimulated by the study. Commentators brainstormed “what\u27s next” with learning analytics in medical education, including advancements in interaction metrics and the use of interactivity analysis to deepen understanding of perceptual, cognitive, and social learning and transfer processes

A Study of the (3-He,t) Charge-Exchange Reaction at E(3-He) = 200 MeV

This research was sponsored by the National Science Foundation Grant NSF PHY 87-1440

LMP-420, a small-molecule inhibitor of TNF-alpha, reduces replication of HIV-1 and Mycobacterium tuberculosis in human cells

BACKGROUND: Co-infections of human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) and Mycobacterium tuberculosis (M. Tb) are steadily increasing and represent a major health crisis in many developing countries. Both pathogens individually stimulate tumor necrosis factor-alpha (TNF) release from infected cells and TNF, in turn, enhances the replication of each. A recent report on a Phase I clinical trial suggested that etanercept (soluble TNF receptor) might be beneficial in treating HIV/M. Tb co-infected patients. We sought to determine if a small molecule inhibitor of TNF synthesis and activity could block replication of either organism and thus be a potential adjunct to existing drugs targeting these agents. RESULTS: LMP-420, a novel anti-inflammatory agent that inhibits TNF, was tested for HIV-1 inhibition both alone and in combination with AZT (3' -azido-3-deoxythymidine). LMP-420 alone was tested against M. Tb. HIV-1 infected human peripheral blood mononuclear cells (PBMC) or M. Tb-infected human alveolar macrophages (AM) were treated with a single dose of LMP-420 and viral or bacterial replication determined after 7 or 5 days respectively. Viral replication was determined from supernatant p24 levels measured by ELISA. M. Tb replication was determined by bacterial culture of macrophage lysates. LMP-420 alone inhibited HIV replication over 7 days with an IC(50 )of ~300 nM. Combination of LMP-420 with AZT doubled the level of HIV inhibition observed with AZT alone. LMP-420 alone inhibited the replication of virulent M. Tb by >80%, more than that observed with anti-TNF antibody alone. CONCLUSION: Inhibition of TNF with inexpensive, small-molecule, orally-active drugs may represent a useful strategy for enhancing the activity of currently-available antiviral and anti-M. Tb agents, particularly in those areas where co-infections with these pathogens act to synergistically enhance each other

Nab: Measurement Principles, Apparatus and Uncertainties

The Nab collaboration will perform a precise measurement of 'a', the electron-neutrino correlation parameter, and 'b', the Fierz interference term in neutron beta decay, in the Fundamental Neutron Physics Beamline at the SNS, using a novel electric/magnetic field spectrometer and detector design. The experiment is aiming at the 10^{-3} accuracy level in (Delta a)/a, and will provide an independent measurement of lambda = G_A/G_V, the ratio of axial-vector to vector coupling constants of the nucleon. Nab also plans to perform the first ever measurement of 'b' in neutron decay, which will provide an independent limit on the tensor weak coupling.Comment: 12 pages, 6 figures, 1 table, talk presented at the International Workshop on Particle Physics with Slow Neutrons, Grenoble, 29-31 May 2008; to appear in Nucl. Instrum. Meth. in Physics Research

Testing the Resolving Power of 2-D K^+ K^+ Interferometry

Adopting a procedure previously proposed to quantitatively study two-dimensional pion interferometry, an equivalent 2-D chi^2 analysis was performed to test the resolving power of that method when applied to less favorable conditions, i.e., if no significant contribution from long lived resonances is expected, as in kaon interferometry. For that purpose, use is made of the preliminary E859 K^+ K^+ interferometry data from Si+Au collisions at 14.6 AGeV/c. As expected, less sensitivity is achieved in the present case, although it still is possible to distinguish two distinct decoupling geometries. The present analysis seems to favor scenarios with no resonance formation at the AGS energy range, if the preliminary K^+ K^+ data are confirmed. The possible compatibility of data with zero decoupling proper time interval, conjectured by the 3-D experimental analysis, is also investigated and is ruled out when considering more realistic dynamical models with expanding sources. These results, however, clearly evidence the important influence of the time emission interval on the source effective transverse dimensions. Furthermore, they strongly emphasize that the static Gaussian parameterization, commonly used to fit data, cannot be trusted under more realistic conditions, leading to distorted or even wrong interpretation of the source parameters!Comment: 11 pages, RevTeX, 4 Postscript figures include