Particle Number Fluctuations in Statistical Model with Exact Charge Conservation Laws

Even though the first momenta i.e. the ensemble average quantities in canonical ensemble (CE) give the grand canonical (GC) results in large multiplicity limit, the fluctuations involving second moments do not respect this asymptotic behaviour. Instead, the asymptotics are strikingly different, giving a new handle in study of statistical particle number fluctuations in relativistic nuclear reactions. Here we study the analytical large volume asymptotics to general case of multispecies hadron gas carrying fixed baryon number, strangeness and electric charge. By means of Monte Carlo simulations we have also studied the general multiplicity probability distributions taking into account the decay chains of resonance states.Comment: 4 pages, 2 figures. The report of the talk given in Strangeness in Quark Matter 2004, Cape Town. Submitted to J. Phys. G: Nucl. Part. Phy

Thromboembolic events in patients treated with anti-angiogenic drugs

Induction of neo-angiogenesis is a fundamental step in many pathological conditions. The therapeutic value of inhibiting angiogenesis is an interesting area of research in oncology, with vascular endothelial growth factor (VEGF) being the most suitable anti-angiogenic target. In the last decade a number of anti-VEGF drugs have demonstrated, especially in combination with standard chemotherapy, clinical efficacy in the treatment of different solid tumor types. As data from clinical trials on anti-VEGF drugs are becoming available, it is increasingly recognized that VEGF, in addition to being a permeability, proliferation, and migration factor, is also a maintenance and protection factor for endothelial cells, being capable of regulating multiple biological functions, i.e. the production of vasoactive mediators and the expression of components of the thrombolytic and coagulation pathways. Consequently, the disturbance of vascular homeostasis by blocking VEGF may lead to endothelial dysfunction and adverse vascular effects, such as venous and arterial thromboembolic events. In preclinical models angiogenesis and the increased expression of VEGF has been associated to altered expression of proinflammatory genes. These genes may be regulated in a biphasic manner, and it is possible that anti-VEGF therapy may disrupt a negative feedback loop that leads to potential in situ thrombus formation. Accordingly, combination treatment with bevacizumab and chemotherapy, compared with chemotherapy alone, was recently associated with an increased risk of thromboembolism. The present review considers the biological mechanisms and clinical impact of thromboembolic complications during anti-angiogenic treatments in cancer patients

Pion Number Fluctuations and Correlations in the Statistical System with Fixed Isospin

The statistical system of pions with zero total isospin is studied. The suppression effects for the average yields due to isospin conservation are the same for $\pi^0$, $\pi^+$ and $\pi^-$. However, a behavior of the corresponding particle number fluctuations are different. For neutral pions there is the enhancement of the fluctuations, whereas for charged pions the isospin conservation suppresses fluctuations. The correlations between the numbers of charged and neutral pions are observed for finite systems. This causes a maximum of the total pion number fluctuations for small systems. The thermodynamic limit values for the scaled variances of neutral and charged pions are calculated. The enhancements of the fluctuations due to Bose statistics are found and discussed

Shared multisensory experience affects Others' boundary: The enfacement illusion in schizophrenia

Schizophrenia has been described as a psychiatric condition characterized by deficits in one's own and others' face recognition, as well as by a disturbed sense of body-ownership. To date, no study has integrated these two lines of research with the aim of investigating Enfacement Illusion (EI) proneness in schizophrenia. To accomplish this goal, the classic EI protocol was adapted to test the potential plasticity of both Self-Other and Other-Other boundaries. Results showed that EI induced the expected malleability of Self-Other boundary among both controls and patients. Interestingly, for the first time, the present study demonstrates that also the Other-Other boundary was influenced by EI. Furthermore, comparing the two groups, the malleability of the Other-Other boundary showed an opposite modulation. These results suggest that, instead of greater Self-Other boundary plasticity, a qualitative difference can be detected between schizophrenia patients and controls in the malleability of the Other-Other boundary. The present study points out a totally new aspect about body-illusions and schizophrenia disorder, demonstrating that EI is not only confined to self-sphere but it also affects the way we discriminate others, representing a potential crucial aspect in the social domain

Non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs in cancer prevention and therapy

Long-term use of non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs (NSAIDs) can be regarded as an effective approach for cancer chemoprevention, as demonstrated by a bulk of clinical and experimental evidence. However, the clinical use of these drugs as chemopreventive agents is limited by many open questions about the optimal drug, dose, duration of therapy and knowledge about the mechanism(s) by which these drugs act. In particular, the recent data on cardiovascular toxicity of coxibs has posed some limitations on the use of NSAIDs for cancer chemoprevention in the general population. The situation is different in certain genetically susceptible subgroups, such as in individuals with genetic mutations associated with hereditary nonpolyposis colon cancer (HNPCC) or familiar adenomatous polyps (FAP) in whom lifetime risk increases up to 70-90% and in whom the benefit of a chemopreventive drug might justify its use even in the presence of adverse effects

Non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs in cancer prevention and therapy

Long-term use of non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs (NSAIDs) can be regarded as an effective approach for cancer chemoprevention, as demonstrated by a bulk of clinical and experimental evidence. However, the clinical use of these drugs as chemopreventive agents is limited by many open questions about the optimal drug, dose, duration of therapy and knowledge about the mechanism(s) by which these drugs act. In particular, the recent data on cardiovascular toxicity of coxibs has posed some limitations on the use of NSAIDs for cancer chemoprevention in the general population. The situation is different in certain genetically susceptible subgroups, such as in individuals with genetic mutations associated with hereditary nonpolyposis colon cancer (HNPCC) or familiar adenomatous polyps (FAP) in whom lifetime risk increases up to 70-90% and in whom the benefit of a chemopreventive drug might justify its use even in the presence of adverse effects

SEM tomography for the investigation of hybrid structures

The morphological investigation at the micrometric scale of a graphene - ZnO nanorods hybrid structure is performed by scanning electron microscopy. When operated in the scanning-transmission imaging mode, the detection strategy allows implementation of a tomographic approach to recover the three dimensional spatial arrangement of the sample constituents. This tomographic approach complements the serial-sectioning imaging methods and is suitable for thin, self-standing specimens

Functionalization of Indium Oxide for Empowered Detection of CO2 over an Extra-Wide Range of Concentrations

Carbon capture, storage, and utilization have becomefamiliar termswhen discussing climate change mitigation actions. Such endeavorsdemand the availability of smart and inexpensive devices for CO2 monitoring. To date, CO2 detection relies on opticalproperties and there is a lack of devices based on solid-state gassensors, which can be miniaturized and easily made compatible withInternet of Things platforms. With this purpose, we present an innovativesemiconductor as a functional material for CO2 detection.A nanostructured In2O3 film, functionalizedby Na, proves to enhance the surface reactivity of pristine oxideand promote the chemisorption of even rather an inert molecule asCO(2). An advanced operando equipment basedon surface-sensitive diffuse infrared Fourier transform is used toinvestigate its improved surface reactivity. The role of sodium isto increase the concentration of active sites such as oxygen vacanciesand, in turn, to strengthen CO2 adsorption and reactionat the surface. It results in a change in film conductivity, i.e.,in transduction of a concentration of CO2. The films exhibitexcellent sensitivity and selectivity to CO2 over an extra-widerange of concentrations (250-5000 ppm), which covers most indoorand outdoor applications due to the marginal influence by environmentalhumidity

Thick-film gas sensors based on vanadium-titanium oxide powders prepared by sol-gel synthesis

Two titania powders modified by 10 at.% of vanadium were prepared by two different sol-gel routes. The powders fired at 650 °C had the rutile structure. These powders were used to produce prototype thick-film sensors. Four series of thick-film samples were fabricated by screen-printing, fired for 1 h at 650 and 850 °C. The morphology and gas-sensing properties were examined and compared with those of pure and Ta-added titania films, previously studied by the authors. Ta addition inhibited the anatase-to-rutile phase transformation during heating and was also effective in keeping the TiO2 grain size in the nanometre range. On the contrary, V addition facilitated the anatase-to-rutile phase transformation. Thick films obtained from the two powders had similar conductance behaviour vs. temperature. The gas response of the films was affected by both the grain size and firing temperature. © 2003 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved