Sommerfeld Enhancement of DM Annihilation: Resonance Structure, Freeze-Out and CMB Spectral Bound

In the last few years there has been some interest in WIMP Dark Matter models featuring a velocity dependent cross section through the Sommerfeld enhancement mechanism, which is a nonrelativistic effect due to massive bosons in the dark sector. In the first part of this article, we find analytic expressions for the boost factor for three different model potentials, the Coulomb potential, the spherical well and the spherical cone well and compare with the numerical solution of the Yukawa potential. We find that the resonance pattern of all the potentials can be cast into the same universal form. In the second part of the article we perform a detailed computation of the Dark Matter relic density for models having Sommerfeld enhancement by solving the Boltzmann equation numerically. We calculate the expected distortions of the CMB blackbody spectrum from WIMP annihilations and compare these to the bounds set by FIRAS. We conclude that only a small part of the parameter space can be ruled out by the FIRAS observations.Comment: 15 pages, 15 figures, version accepted by JCA

Antimalarial activity of the anticancer histone deacetylase inhibitor SB939

Histone deacetylase (HDAC) enzymes posttranslationally modify lysines on histone and nonhistone proteins and play crucial roles in epigenetic regulation and other important cellular processes. HDAC inhibitors (e.g., suberoylanilide hydroxamic acid [SAHA; also known as vorinostat]) are used clinically to treat some cancers and are under investigation for use against many other diseases. Development of new HDAC inhibitors for noncancer indications has the potential to be accelerated by piggy-backing onto cancer studies, as several HDAC inhibitors have undergone or are undergoing clinical trials. One such compound, SB939, is a new orally active hydroxamate-based HDAC inhibitor with an improved pharmacokinetic profile compared to that of SAHA. In this study, the in vitro and in vivo antiplasmodial activities of SB939 were investigated. SB939 was found to be a potent inhibitor of the growth of Plasmodium falciparum asexual-stage parasites in vitro (50% inhibitory concentration [IC50], 100 to 200 nM), causing hyperacetylation of parasite histone and nonhistone proteins. In combination with the aspartic protease inhibitor lopinavir, SB939 displayed additive activity. SB939 also potently inhibited the in vitro growth of exoerythrocytic-stage Plasmodium parasites in liver cells (IC50, similar to 150 nM), suggesting that inhibitor targeting to multiple malaria parasite life cycle stages may be possible. In an experimental in vivo murine model of cerebral malaria, orally administered SB939 significantly inhibited P. berghei ANKA parasite growth, preventing development of cerebral malaria-like symptoms. These results identify SB939 as a potent new antimalarial HDAC inhibitor and underscore the potential of investigating next-generation anticancer HDAC inhibitors as prospective new drug leads for treatment of malaria

Clinical Evaluation of Chronic Hepatitis C and Indications for HCV Treatment

Hepatitis C virus (HCV) is the most common cause of liver cirrhosis in the United States. If untreated, HCV can lead to death from complications of liver failure or hepatocellular carcinoma, making screening imperative in high-risk patients. Established risk factors for HCV infection include injection drug use, receipt of blood transfusion or organ transplantation prior to 1992, and hemodialysis. Recent evidence has demonstrated that those born between 1945-1965 are additionally at high risk for HCV acquisition and should undergo one time screening. Once diagnosed, consideration for treatment should be based on patient motivation, concurrent medical co-morbidities, degree of liver injury, and risk of progression to cirrhosis. Therapy may also be indicated in patients with extra-hepatic manifestations of HCV

A systematic study of J/psi suppression in cold nuclear matter

Based on a Glauber model, a statistical analysis of all mid-rapidity J/psi hadroproduction and leptoproduction data on nuclear targets is carried out. This allows us to determine the J/psi-nucleon inelastic cross section, whose knowledge is crucial to interpret the J/psi suppression observed in heavy-ion collisions, at SPS and at RHIC. The values of sigma are extracted from each experiment. A clear tension between the different data sets is reported. The global fit of all data gives sigma=3.4+/-0.2 mb, which is significantly smaller than previous estimates. A similar value, sigma=3.5+/-0.2 mb, is obtained when the nDS nuclear parton densities are included in the analysis, although we emphasize that the present uncertainties on gluon (anti)shadowing do not allow for a precise determination of sigma. Finally, no significant energy dependence of the J/psi-N interaction is observed, unless strong nuclear modifications of the parton densities are assumed.Comment: 25 pages, 5 figure

Core-Shell Hydrogel Microcapsules for Improved Islets Encapsulation

Islets microencapsulation holds great promise to treat type 1 diabetes. Currently used alginate microcapsules often have islets protruding outside capsules, leading to inadequate immuno-protection. A novel design of microcapsules with core–shell structures using a two-fluid co-axial electro-jetting is reported. Improved encapsulation and diabetes correction is achieved in a single step by simply confining the islets in the core region of the capsules.Juvenile Diabetes Research Foundation International (grant 17-2007-1063)National Institutes of Health (U.S.) (Postdoctoral Fellowship F32 EB011580- 01)Tayebati Family Foundatio

Inclusive cross section and double helicity asymmetry for pi^0 production in p+p collisions at sqrt(s) = 62.4 GeV

The PHENIX experiment presents results from the RHIC 2006 run with polarized proton collisions at sqrt(s) = 62.4 GeV for inclusive pi^0 production at mid-rapidity. Unpolarized cross section results are measured for transverse momenta p_T = 0.5 to 7 GeV/c. Next-to-leading order perturbative quantum chromodynamics calculations are compared with the data, and while the calculations are consistent with the measurements, next-to-leading logarithmic corrections improve the agreement. Double helicity asymmetries A_LL are presented for p_T = 1 to 4 GeV/c and probe the higher range of Bjorken_x of the gluon (x_g) with better statistical precision than our previous measurements at sqrt(s)=200 GeV. These measurements are sensitive to the gluon polarization in the proton for 0.06 < x_g < 0.4.Comment: 387 authors from 63 institutions, 10 pages, 6 figures, 1 table. Submitted to Physical Review D. Plain text data tables for the points plotted in figures for this and previous PHENIX publications are (or will be) publicly available at http://www.phenix.bnl.gov/papers.htm

Measurement of high-p_T Single Electrons from Heavy-Flavor Decays in p+p Collisions at sqrt(s) = 200 GeV

The momentum distribution of electrons from decays of heavy flavor (charm and beauty) for midrapidity |y| < 0.35 in p+p collisions at sqrt(s) = 200 GeV has been measured by the PHENIX experiment at the Relativistic Heavy Ion Collider (RHIC) over the transverse momentum range 0.3 < p_T < 9 GeV/c. Two independent methods have been used to determine the heavy flavor yields, and the results are in good agreement with each other. A fixed-order-plus-next-to-leading-log pQCD calculation agrees with the data within the theoretical and experimental uncertainties, with the data/theory ratio of 1.72 +/- 0.02^stat +/- 0.19^sys for 0.3 < p_T < 9 GeV/c. The total charm production cross section at this energy has also been deduced to be sigma_(c c^bar) = 567 +/- 57^stat +/- 224^sys micro barns.Comment: 375 authors from 57 institutions, 6 pages, 3 figures. Submitted to Physical Review Letters. Plain text data tables for the points plotted in figures for this and previous PHENIX publications are (or will be) publicly available at http://www.phenix.bnl.gov/papers.htm