Almost-Commutative Geometries Beyond the Standard Model

In [7-9] and [10] the conjecture is presented that almost-commutative geometries, with respect to sensible physical constraints, allow only the standard model of particle physics and electro-strong models as Yang-Mills-Higgs theories. In this publication a counter example will be given. The corresponding almost-commutative geometry leads to a Yang-Mills-Higgs model which consists of the standard model of particle physics and two new fermions of opposite electro-magnetic charge. This is the second Yang-Mills-Higgs model within noncommutative geometry, after the standard model, which could be compatible with experiments. Combined to a hydrogen-like composite particle these new particles provide a novel dark matter candidate

Lipometabolic side-effects of three ritonavir-boosted double protease inhibitor regimens without reverse transcriptase inhibitors

Poster presentation: Purpose of the study To compare the lipometabolic profiles of three double-boosted protease inhibitor (PI) regimens at standard dose, containing saquinavir and ritonavir in combination with lopinavir (LOPSAQ), atazanavir (ATSAQ) or fosamprenavir (FOSAQ) in HIV-positive patients, treated without reverse transcriptase inhibitors (RTI). ..

Effects of probiotics and antibiotics on the intestinal homeostasis in a computer controlled model of the large intestine

Background: Antibiotic associated diarrhea and Clostridium difficile infection are frequent complications of broad spectrum antibiotic therapy. Probiotic bacteria are used as therapeutic and preventive agents in these disorders, but the exact functional mechanisms and the mode of action are poorly understood. The effects of clindamycin and the probiotic mixture VSL#3 (containing the 8 bacterial strains Streptococcus thermophilus, Bifidobacterium breve, Bifidobacterium longum, Bifidobacterium infantis, Lactobacillus acidophilus, Lactobacillus plantarum, Lactobacillus paracasei and Lactobacillus delbrueckii subsp. Bulgaricus) consecutively or in combination were investigated and compared to controls without therapy using a standardized human fecal microbiota in a computer-controlled in vitro model of large intestine. Microbial metabolites (short chain fatty acids, lactate, branched chain fatty acids, and ammonia) and the intestinal microbiota were analyzed. Results: Compared to controls and combination therapy, short chain fatty acids and lactate, but also ammonia and branched chain fatty acids, were increased under probiotic therapy. The metabolic pattern under combined therapy with antibiotics and probiotics had the most beneficial and consistent effect on intestinal metabolic profiles. The intestinal microbiota showed a decrease in several indigenous bacterial groups under antibiotic therapy, there was no significant recovery of these groups when the antibiotic therapy was followed by administration of probiotics. Simultaneous application of anti- and probiotics had a stabilizing effect on the intestinal microbiota with increased bifidobacteria and lactobacilli. Conclusions: Administration of VSL#3 parallel with the clindamycin therapy had a beneficial and stabilizing effect on the intestinal metabolic homeostasis by decreasing toxic metabolites and protecting the endogenic microbiota from destruction. Probiotics could be a reasonable strategy in prevention of antibiotic associated disturbances of the intestinal homeostasis and disorders. © 2012 Rehman et al; licensee BioMed Central Lt

Seesaw and noncommutative geometry

The 1-loop corrections to the seesaw mechanism in the noncommutative standard model are computed. Other consequences of the Lorentzian signature in the inner space are summarised.Comment: Dedicated to Alain Connes on the occasion of his 60th birthda

Topological susceptibility in full QCD: lattice results versus the prediction from the QCD partition function with granularity

Recent lattice data from CP-PACS, UKQCD, SESAM/TXL and the Pisa group regarding the quark mass dependence of the topological susceptibility in 2-flavour QCD are compared to each other and to theoretical expectations. The latter get specified by referring to the QCD finite-volume partition function with ``granularity'' which accounts for the entropy brought by instantons and anti-instantons. The chiral condensate in $N_f=2$ QCD, if determined by this method, turns out surprisingly large.Comment: 24 pages, 9 figures containing 21 graphs; v2: modifications to account for the changes in the SESAM/TXL data, otherwise minor alterations, except for 4 new references added; to appear in Nucl. Phys.

Scalar mesons and the muon anomaly

We evaluate systematically some new contributions of the QCD scalar mesons, including radiative decay-productions, not considered with a better attention until now in the evaluation of the hadronic contributions to the muon anomaly. The sum of the scalar contributions to be added to the existing Standard Model predictions a_mu^{SM} are estimated in units 10^{-10} to be a^{S}_mu= 1.0(0.6) [TH based]} and 13(11) [ PDG based], where the errors are dominated by the ones from the experimental widths of these scalar mesons. PDG based results suggest that the value of a_mu^{SM} and its errors might have been underestimated in previous works. The inclusion of these new effects leads to a perfect agreement (< 1.1\sigma) of the measured value a^{exp}_mu and a_mu^{SM} from tau-decay and implies a (1.5 ~ 3.3) sigma discrepancy between a^{exp}_mu and a_mu^{SM} from e^+e^- into hadrons data. More refined unbiased estimates of a_mu^{SM} require improved measurements of the scalar meson masses and widths. The impact of our results to a_mu^{SM} is summarized in the conclusions.Comment: Latex file, 5 pages, 2 tables, 1 eps figure. Version to appear in Phys. Lett. B. Separation of the pure theoretical based and experimental PDG based estimates of a_mu^S

Theoretical description of hyperpolarization formation in the SABRE-relay method

SABRE (Signal Amplification By Reversible Exchange) has become a widely used method for hyper-polarizing nuclear spins, thereby enhancing their Nuclear Magnetic Resonance (NMR) signals by orders of magnitude. In SABRE experiments, the non-equilibrium spin order is transferred from parahydrogen to a substrate in a transient organometallic complex. The applicability of SABRE is expanded by the methodology of SABRE-relay in which polarization can be relayed to a second substrate either by direct chemical exchange of hyperpolarized nuclei or by polarization transfer between two substrates in a second organometallic complex. To understand the mechanism of the polarization transfer and study the transfer efficiency, we propose a theoretical approach to SABRE-relay, which can treat both spin dynamics and chemical kinetics as well as the interplay between them. The approach is based on a set of equations for the spin density matrices of the spin systems involved (i.e., SABRE substrates and complexes), which can be solved numerically. Using this method, we perform a detailed study of polarization formation and analyze in detail the dependence of the attainable polarization level on various chemical kinetic and spin dynamic parameters. We foresee the applications of the present approach for optimizing SABRE-relay experiments with the ultimate goal of achieving maximal NMR signal enhancements for substrates of interest

Microbiota of the Gut-Lymph Node Axis: Depletion of Mucosa-Associated Segmented Filamentous Bacteria and Enrichment of Methanobrevibacter by Colistin Sulfate and Linco-Spectin in Pigs

Microorganisms are translocated from the gut to lymphatic tissues via immune cells, thereby challenging and training the mammalian immune system. Antibiotics alter the gut microbiome and consecutively might also affect the corresponding translocation processes, resulting in an imbalanced state between the intestinal microbiota and the host. Hence, understanding the variant effects of antibiotics on the microbiome of gut-associated tissues is of vital importance for maintaining metabolic homeostasis and animal health. In the present study, we analyzed the microbiome of (i) pig feces, ileum, and ileocecal lymph nodes under the influence of antibiotics (Linco-Spectin and Colistin sulfate) using 16S rRNA gene sequencing for high-resolution community profiling and (ii) ileocecal lymph nodes in more detail with two additional methodological approaches, i.e., cultivation of ileocecal lymph node samples and (iii) metatranscriptome sequencing of a single lymph node sample. Supplementation of medicated feed showed a local effect on feces and ileal mucosa-associated microbiomes. Pigs that received antibiotics harbored significantly reduced amounts of segmented filamentous bacteria (SFB) along the ileal mucosa (p = 0.048; 199.17-fold change) and increased amounts of Methanobrevibacter, a methanogenic Euryarchaeote in fecal samples (p = 0.005; 20.17-fold change) compared to the control group. Analysis of the porcine ileocecal lymph node microbiome exposed large differences between the viable and the dead fraction of microorganisms and the microbiome was altered to a lesser extent by antibiotics compared with feces and ileum. The core microbiome of lymph nodes was constituted mainly of Proteobacteria. RNA-sequencing of a single lymph node sample unveiled transcripts responsible for amino acid and carbohydrate metabolism as well as protein turnover, DNA replication and signal transduction. The study presented here is the first comparative study of microbial communities in feces, ileum, and its associated ileocecal lymph nodes. In each analyzed site, we identified specific phylotypes susceptible to antibiotic treatment that can have profound impacts on the host physiological and immunological state, or even on global biogeochemical cycles. Our results indicate that pathogenic bacteria, e.g., enteropathogenic Escherichia coli, could escape antibiotic treatment by translocating to lymph nodes. In general ileocecal lymph nodes harbor a more diverse and active community of microorganisms than previously assumed