111,844 research outputs found
Operator product expansion and quark condensate from LQCD in coordinate space
No full textWe perform an exploratory study of the operator product expansion of the quark propagator on the lattice at short distance in coordinate space. This permits a simple determination of the quark condensate, ^MS(2 GeV)=(-265 +- 5 +- 22 MeV)^3, and of the renormalization constant of the quark field, Z^MS(2 GeV)=0.871 +- 0.003 +- 0.020. This new method also provides a remarkable non-perturbative test of the OPE predictions at short distance in QCD
Operator product expansion and quark condensate from lattice QCD in coordinate space
No full textWe present a lattice QCD determination of the chiral quark condensate based on a new method. We extract the quark condensate from the operator product expansion of the quark propagator at short euclidean distances, where it represents the leading contribution in the chiral limit. From this study we obtain MS( 2 GeV) = -( 265 +/- 5 +/- 22MeV)(3), in good agreement with determinations of this quantity based on different approaches. The simulation is performed by using the O( a)- improved Wilson action at beta = 6.45 on a volume 32(3) x 70 in the quenched approximation
author-bios-SRD-19-0063.R1 – Supplemental material for The Network Structure of Police Misconduct
No full textSupplemental material, author-bios-SRD-19-0063.R1 for The Network Structure of Police Misconduct by George Wood, Daria Roithmayr and Andrew V. Papachristos in Socius</p
Going Beyond Counting First Authors in Author Co-citation Analysis
No full textThe present study examines one of the fundamental aspects of author co-citation analysis (ACA) - the way co-citation
counts are defined. Co-citation counting provides the data on which all subsequent statistical analyses and mappings
are based, and we compare ACA results based on two different types of co-citation counting - the traditional type that
only counts the first one among a cited work's authors on the one hand and a non-traditional type that takes into
account the first 5 authors of a cited work on the other hand. Results indicate that the picture produced through this non-traditional author co-citation counting contains more coherent author groups and is therefore considerably clearer. However, this picture represents fewer specialties in the research field being studied than that produced through the traditional first-author co-citation counting when the same number of top-ranked authors is selected and analyzed. Reasons for these effects are discussed
Effects of 12-month GH treatment on bone metabolism and bone mineral density in adults with adult-onset GH deficiency
No full textSerum bone-GIa protein (BGP), bone alkaline phosphatase (B-AP), and C-terminal cross-linked telopeptide of type I collagen (ICTP) levels were evaluated in 18 adults with acquired GH deficiency (GHD, 14 males and 4 females, age range: 25-59 yr) before, at 3, 6, 9 and 12 months of rec-GH treatment (0.125 IU/kg/week for the first month, followed by 0.25 IU/kg/week for 11 months) and 6 months after the withdrawal of therapy. Total body bone mineral density (BMD, g/cm2) was measured with dual energy X-ray absorptiometry (Hologic QDR 1000/W) before, at 12 months of GH treatment and 6 months after its withdrawal. Before treatment, BGP (mean±SE: 5.1±0.4 ng/ml), B-AP (59.4±6.5 IU/I), ICTP (3.1±0.3 ng/ml) levels of patients were similar to in healthy controls (BGP: 5.4±0.1 ng/ml; B-AP: 58.2±2.0 IU/I; ICTP: 4.1±0.3 ng/ml). GH treatment caused a significant increase of BGP, B-AP, ICTP levels, the maximal stimulation of bone resorption, occurring after 3 months of GH treatment, while the maximal effect on bone formation being evident later (at 6th month). A slight decline in BGP, B-AP, T-AP and ICTP levels occurred at 9-12 months of therapy, although the values remained significantly higher than in basal conditions and with respect to healthy controls. Before treatment, mean total body BMD of patients (1.110±0.027 g/cm2, range: 0.944-1.350 g/cm2) was not significantly different (z-score: +0.47±0.31, NS) from that observed in healthy controls (1.065±0.008 g/cm2, range: 1.008-1.121 g/cm2). GH therapy was associated with a significant reduction of mean total body BMD values (6th month: -1.8±0.5%, p<0.01; 12th month: -2.1±1.0%, p<0.05 vs baseline), particularly evident in the first six months of treatment. Six months after the withdrawal of GH therapy, BGP (5.9±0.5 ng/ml), B-AP (57.3±7.0 IU/I) and ICTP (3.2±0.1 ng/ml) levels returned similar to those recorded before treatment, while total BMD increased (+1.5±0.7, p<0.05), remaining however slightly lower than in basal conditions (-0.6±1.2, NS). In conclusion, our study shows that: a) acquired GHD in adulthood is associated with both normal bone formation/resorption indexes and normal total body BMD; b) GH therapy causes a significant rise of bone formation/resorption markers (earlier and greater for bone resorption); c) one-year GH therapy is associated with a reduction of total body BMD values, particularly evident in the first 6 months of treatment; d) the effects of GH therapy on bone turnover are transient, being completely reverted six months after the withdrawal of GH therapy; e) the increase of total body BMD (up to baseline values) after GH withdrawal might be explained as consequence of persisting effects of previous GH stimulation on bone remodeling
Efficacy of radiotherapy in normalizing serum IGF-I, acid-labile subunit (ALS) and IGFBP-3 levels in acromegaly
No full textOBJECTIVE: Radiotherapy (RT) has been used for many years in order to complete the cure of unsuccessfully operated acromegalic patients. Several studies have shown its efficacy in normalizing GH levels, while reports about IGF-I normalization are conflicting. Moreover, data regarding other markers of disease activity, such as IGFBP-3 and acid-labile subunit (ALS), i.e. the other two components of the circulating 150 kDa complex, are lacking. DESIGN: Retrospective study. PATIENTS AND MEASUREMENTS: Sixty-seven acromegalic patients (20 males and 47 females, aged 40 ± 6 years) who underwent postoperative RT (in fractionated doses for a total of 40-75 Gy) were followed-up for 11 ± 6 years (range: 1-26 years, median: 10 years). Serum GH and IGF-I levels off medical therapy were measured in all patients; ALS and IGFBP-3 were measured in 11 patients with normalization of IGF-I concentrations. Computed tomography or nuclear magnetic resonance imaging periodically assessed possible development of pituitary deficiency along with imaging of the hypothalamic-pituitary region. RESULTS: Forty-one out of 67 patients (58%) achieved GH levels < 2.5 μg/l by 1-15 years after RT (mean 8 ± 6) and 37/67 patients (55%) had normal or low IGF-I levels 1-26 years after RT (mean: 12 ± 6), a normalization of both parameters being seen in 37 patients. GH < 2.5 μg/l and normal IGF-I levels were achieved in 17/26 (65%) patients followed-up for at least 15 years. ALS and IGFBP-3 concentrations paralleled IGF-I levels in all patients studied. With respect to secondary pituitary insufficiency, acquired ACTH deficiency was found in 25 patients, TSH deficiency in 20, gonadotropin deficiency in 23 and GH deficiency in seven. In total, two cases of meningioma and one pineal tumour, possibly related to RT, were seen 9-22 years after RT. CONCLUSIONS: RT is an effective, although slow-acting, therapeutic tool for acromegaly, with 'safe' GH levels and normal IGF-I concentrations being achieved in 65% of patients after 15 years. IGF-I levels normalize more slowly than GH levels. Radiotherapy is able to normalize the concentration of all three components of the circulating 150 kDa complex. Checks for loss of pituitary function and appearance of second brain tumours must be carried out life-long
Variations on the Author
No full text“Variations on the Author” discusses two of Eduardo Coutinho’s recent films (Um Dia na Vida, from 2010, and Últimas Conversas, posthumously released in 2015) and their contribution to the general question of documentary authorship. The director’s filmography is characterized by a consistent yet self-effacing form of authorial self-inscription: Coutinho often features as an interviewer that rather than express opinions propels discourses; an interviewer that is good at listening. This mode of self-inscription characterizes him as an author who is not expressive but who is nonetheless markedly present on the screen. In Um Dia na Vida, however, Coutinho is completely absent form the image, while Últimas Conversas, on the contrary, includes a confessional prologue that moves the director from the margins to the center of his films. This article examines the ways in which these works stand out in the filmography of a director who offers new insights into the notion of cinematic authorship
Next-to-leading order strong interaction corrections to the Delta F=2 effective Hamiltonian in the MSSM
No full textWe compute the next-to-leading order strong interaction corrections to gluino-mediated Delta F = 2 box diagrams in the Minimal Supersymmetric Standard Model. These corrections are given by two loop diagrams which we have calculated in three different regularization schemes in the mass insertion approximation. We obtain the next-to-leading order Wilson coefficients of the Delta F = 2 effective Hamiltonian relevant for neutral meson mixings. We find that the matching scale uncertainty is largely reduced at the next-to-leading order, typically from about 10-15% to few percent
Growth hormone therapy in GH-deficient adults: continuous vs alternate-days treatment
No full textIn the present report, we have compared 12 months of rhGH therapy given daily (D) at the beginning and then on alternate days (A) to 20 subjects with severe adult-onset GH deficiency (GHD). Aim of the study was to establish whether the lower frequency injection regimen is as effective as the daily dose. Measurements included: IGF-I levels, body composition (BF%), lipid profile, insulin sensitivity by homeostasis model assessment (HOMA-IR) and quantitative insulin check index (QUICKI), as well as thyroid function. Evaluation on A therapy was performed both 12 and 36 hours after the last rhGH injection. The final rhGH dose was 0.3 ± 0.1 mg/day. During A, the dose used in D was doubled and given on alternate days. Recombinant hGH given during the A period induced changes in IGF-I levels, BF% and lipid profile comparable to daily treatment. HOMA-IR increased similarly after both regimens, though QUICKI did not significantly change. A significant reduction in serum FT4 levels occurred after both D and A therapy, so that an adjustment of L-T4 replacement dose in 5 of 20 patients was necessary. No differences were found in the various parameters after 12 and 36 hours post rhGH injection. In conclusion, rhGH therapy given on alternate days is clinically effective and may result in improved patient compliance. Monitoring glucose tolerance and thyroid function while on rhGH is essential
NLO calculation of the Delta F = 2 Hamiltonians in the MSSM and phenomenological analysis of the B - Bbar mixing
No full textWe present the NLO corrections to the Wilson coefficients of the Delta F = 2 Hamiltonians in the strong interacting sector of the MSSM, responsible for neutral meson oscillations. Such corrections, combined with the NLO anomalous dimension matrix for the Delta F = 2 operators and the corresponding hadronic matrix elements calculated on the lattice, allow for the first time a full NLO phenomenological analysis of the observables related to meson oscillations. We present preliminary results in the B_d - B_d bar sector
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