20,562 research outputs found
Probing the gluon density of the proton in the exclusive photoproduction of vector mesons at the LHC: A phenomenological analysis
The current uncertainty on the gluon density extracted from the global parton
analysis is large in the kinematical range of small values of the Bjorken -
variable and low values of the hard scale . An alternative to reduces this
uncertainty is the analysis of the exclusive vector meson photoproduction in
photon - hadron and hadron - hadron collisions. This process offers a unique
opportunity to constrain the gluon density of the proton, since its cross
section is proportional to the gluon density squared. In this paper we consider
current parametrizations for the gluon distribution and estimate the exclusive
vector meson photoproduction cross section at HERA and LHC using the leading
logarithmic formalism. We perform a fit of the normalization of the
cross section and the value of the hard scale for the process and demonstrate
that the current LHCb experimental data are better described by models that
assume a slow increasing of the gluon distribution at small - and low
.Comment: 8 pages, 6 figures, 1 table. Version published in European Physical
Journal
Near--K-edge double and triple detachment of the F- negative ion: observation of direct two-electron ejection by a single photon
Double and triple detachment of the F-(1s2 2s2 2p6) negative ion by a single
photon have been investigated in the photon energy range 660 to 1000 eV. The
experimental data provide unambiguous evidence for the dominant role of direct
photo-double-detachment with a subsequent single-Auger process in the reaction
channel leading to F2+ product ions. Absolute cross sections were determined
for the direct removal of a (1s+2p) pair of electrons from F- by the absorption
of a single photon
On the nature of the fast moving star S2 in the Galactic Center
We analyze the properties of the star S2 orbiting the supermassive black hole
at the center of the Galaxy. A high quality SINFONI H and K band spectrum
obtained from coadding 23.5 hours of observation between 2004 and 2007 reveals
that S2 is an early B dwarf (B0-2.5V). Using model atmospheres, we constrain
its stellar and wind properties. We show that S2 is a genuine massive star, and
not the core of a stripped giant star as sometimes speculated to resolve the
problem of star formation so close to the supermassive black hole. We give an
upper limit on its mass loss rate, and show that it is He enriched, possibly
because of the presence of a magnetic field.Comment: 4 pages, 5 figures, ApJ letters accepte
Economics of zoonoses surveillance in a ‘One Health’ context: an assessment of Campylobacter surveillance in Switzerland
Complex networks generated by the Penna bit-string model: emergence of small-world and assortative mixing
The Penna bit-string model successfully encompasses many phenomena of population evolution, including inheritance, mutation, evolution, and aging. If we consider social interactions among individuals in the Penna model, the population will form a complex network. In this paper, we first modify the Verhulst factor to control only the birth rate, and introduce activity-based preferential reproduction of offspring in the Penna model. The social interactions among individuals are generated by both inheritance and activity-based preferential increase. Then we study the properties of the complex network generated by the modified Penna model. We find that the resulting complex network has a small-world effect and the assortative mixing property
Autophagy Modulation for Organelle-Targeting Therapy
Autophagy is a crucial metabolic pathway that sustains cellular homeostasis in health and that can also play either a protective or a destructive role in disease. During the last decade, progress made in understanding of the molecular basis of autophagy has uncovered an exciting opportunity to target it for the treatment of several human illnesses. In fact, there is emerging interest in autophagy-modulating and autophagy-targeted therapy with a variety of pharmacologic agents. However, to develop effective autophagy-targeted therapy, it is essential to identify the pharmacologic key targets in the autophagy pathway. In this chapter, we reviewed the cases of success and pitfalls of activating or inhibiting autophagy attempting therapeutic intervention of diseases, including cancer, neurologic disorders, and infectious diseases. In all these histopathologic states, autophagy is considered as the principal cellular mechanisms of defense and immunochemical homeostasis. In the last section of this chapter, we discuss main directions that may be of particular use in the future investigations, including a promissory avenue for autophagy modulation for organelle-targeting therapy through a promotion of parallel damage in lysosomal and mitochondrial membranes
Massive binaries in the vicinity of Sgr A*
A long-term spectroscopic and photometric survey of the most luminous and
massive stars in the vicinity of the super-massive black hole Sgr A* revealed
two new binaries; a long-period Ofpe/WN9 binary, GCIRS 16NE, with a modest
eccentricity of 0.3 and a period of 224 days and an eclipsing Wolf-Rayet binary
with a period of 2.3 days. Together with the already identified binary GCIRS
16SW, there are now three confirmed OB/WR binaries in the inner 0.2\,pc of the
Galactic Center. Using radial velocity change upper limits, we were able to
constrain the spectroscopic binary fraction in the Galactic Center to at a confidence level of 95%, a massive binary
fraction similar to that observed in dense clusters. The fraction of eclipsing
binaries with photometric amplitudes is , which is consistent with local OB star clusters ().
Overall the Galactic Center binary fraction seems to be close to the binary
fraction in comparable young clusters.Comment: 5 figures, submitted to Ap
Simulations of a mortality plateau in the sexual Penna model for biological ageing
The Penna model is a strategy to simulate the genetic dynamics of
age-structured populations, in which the individuals genomes are represented by
bit-strings. It provides a simple metaphor for the evolutionary process in
terms of the mutation accumulation theory. In its original version, an
individual dies due to inherited diseases when its current number of
accumulated mutations, n, reaches a threshold value, T. Since the number of
accumulated diseases increases with age, the probability to die is zero for
very young ages (n = T). Here, instead
of using a step function to determine the genetic death age, we test several
other functions that may or may not slightly increase the death probability at
young ages (n < T), but that decreases this probability at old ones. Our
purpose is to study the oldest old effect, that is, a plateau in the mortality
curves at advanced ages. Imposing certain conditions, it has been possible to
obtain a clear plateau using the Penna model. However, a more realistic one
appears when a modified version, that keeps the population size fixed without
fluctuations, is used. We also find a relation between the birth rate, the
age-structure of the population and the death probability.Comment: submitted to Phys. Rev.
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