Challenges in QCD matter physics - The Compressed Baryonic Matter experiment at FAIR

Substantial experimental and theoretical efforts worldwide are devoted to explore the phase diagram of strongly interacting matter. At LHC and top RHIC energies, QCD matter is studied at very high temperatures and nearly vanishing net-baryon densities. There is evidence that a Quark-Gluon-Plasma (QGP) was created at experiments at RHIC and LHC. The transition from the QGP back to the hadron gas is found to be a smooth cross over. For larger net-baryon densities and lower temperatures, it is expected that the QCD phase diagram exhibits a rich structure, such as a first-order phase transition between hadronic and partonic matter which terminates in a critical point, or exotic phases like quarkyonic matter. The discovery of these landmarks would be a breakthrough in our understanding of the strong interaction and is therefore in the focus of various high-energy heavy-ion research programs. The Compressed Baryonic Matter (CBM) experiment at FAIR will play a unique role in the exploration of the QCD phase diagram in the region of high net-baryon densities, because it is designed to run at unprecedented interaction rates. High-rate operation is the key prerequisite for high-precision measurements of multi-differential observables and of rare diagnostic probes which are sensitive to the dense phase of the nuclear fireball. The goal of the CBM experiment at SIS100 (sqrt(s_NN) = 2.7 - 4.9 GeV) is to discover fundamental properties of QCD matter: the phase structure at large baryon-chemical potentials (mu_B > 500 MeV), effects of chiral symmetry, and the equation-of-state at high density as it is expected to occur in the core of neutron stars. In this article, we review the motivation for and the physics programme of CBM, including activities before the start of data taking in 2022, in the context of the worldwide efforts to explore high-density QCD matter.Comment: 15 pages, 11 figures. Published in European Physical Journal

Hadroproduction of the Chi1 and Chi2 States of Charmonium in 800 GeV/c Proton-Silicon Interactions

The cross sections for the hadroproduction of the Chi1 and Chi2 states of charmonium in proton-silicon collisions at sqrt{s}=38.8 GeV have been measured in Fermilab fixed target Experiment 771. The Chi states were observed via their radiative decay to J/psi+gamma, where the photon converted to e+e- in the material of the spectrometer. The measured values for the Chi1 and Chi2 cross sections for x_F>0 are 263+-69(stat)+-32(syst) and 498+-143(stat)+-67(syst) nb per nucleon respectively. The resulting sigma(Chi1}/sigma(Chi2) ratio of 0.53+-0.20(stat)+-0.07(syst), although somewhat larger than most theoretical expectations, can be accomodated by the latest theoretical estimates.Comment: 4 pages, 4 figure

Expression of pinopodies in women with endometry hyperplasia without atipy and fertility disorders

Non-atypical endometrial hyperplasia (EH) most often occurs against a background of relative or absolute hyperestrogenism, responds to abnormal hormonal effects. In the reproductive age, the presence of EH can be a factor in the development of fertility disorders. The aim of the study was to learn the expression of pinopodes in ovulatory infertile women with non-atypical EH on the day of the implantation window. Under observation there were 196 women of reproductive age, of which 166 had been treated for infertility, and 30 conditionally gynecologically and somatically healthy, fertile women of the control group. A special examination of women included the determination in the endometrium by scanning electron microscopy of pinopodes’ expression. It was found that in women with non-atypical hyperplasia of the endometrium, areas without pinopodia were recorded in 47.59% of cases, pinopodes of small size - in 79.52% and abundant, small, thick microvilli - in 37.95%; the decrease in the incidence of developed pineapods in comparison with healthy prolific women was 2.72 times, that of pinopodes of large size was 3.39 and the small number of microvilli was 3.64, an increase in the occurrence of pinopodes of medium size 3.65, microvilli in moderate amounts - at 3.74. The authors conclude that the characteristic feature of endometrial pinopodes in EH is the presence of mosaicism of their shape (60.24%), size (64.46%) and the presence of numerous areas of absence of pinopodes (47.59%), which plays a significant role in disorders fertility

Molecular-genetic aspects of the endometrium state on the day of the tentative implantation window in women with recurrent miscarriage in the programs of assisted reproductive technologies

Golovatyuk K. P., Nosenko O. M., Makshayeva E. T., Trofimov D. Yu., Donnikov A. E., Kolin V. V. Molecular-genetic aspects of the endometrium state on the day of the tentative implantation window in women with recurrent miscarriage in the programs of assisted reproductive technologies. Journal of Education, Health and Sport. 2017;7(9):621-626. eISSN 2391-8306. DOI http://dx.doi.org/10.5281/zenodo.1068361 http://ojs.ukw.edu.pl/index.php/johs/article/view/5076 The journal has had 7 points in Ministry of Science and Higher Education parametric evaluation. Part B item 1223 (26.01.2017). 1223 Journal of Education, Health and Sport eISSN 2391-8306 7 © The Authors 2017; This article is published with open access at Licensee Open Journal Systems of Kazimierz Wielki University in Bydgoszcz, Poland Open Access. This article is distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution Noncommercial License which permits any noncommercial use, distribution, and reproduction in any medium, provided the original author(s) and source are credited. This is an open access article licensed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution Non Commercial License (http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc/4.0/) which permits unrestricted, non commercial use, distribution and reproduction in any medium, provided the work is properly cited. This is an open access article licensed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution Non Commercial License (http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc/4.0/) which permits unrestricted, non commercial use, distribution and reproduction in any medium, provided the work is properly cited. The authors declare that there is no conflict of interests regarding the publication of this paper. Received: 15.08.2017. Revised: 20.09.2017. Accepted: 29.09.2017. MOLECULAR-GENETIC ASPECTS OF THE ENDOMETRIUM STATE ON THE DAY OF THE tentative IMPLANTATION WINDOW IN WOMEN WITH recurrent miscarriage IN THE PROGRAMS OF ASSISTED REPRODUCTIVE TECHNOLOGIES 1K. P. Golovatyuk, 2O. M. Nosenko, 1E. T. Makshayeva, 3D. Yu. Trofimov, 4A. E. Donnikov, 3V. V. Kolin 1Limited Liability Company Medical Center for Reproductive Health "Gameta", Odessa, Ukraine; 2Odessa National Medical University, Ukraine; 3Limited Liability Company "NPF DNA-Technology", Moscow, Russia; 4FGBU Scientific Center for Obstetrics, Gynecology and Perinatology. named after acad. V.I. Kulakov Ministry of Health care and Social Development of Russia, Moscow, Russia; e-mail: [email protected] Abstract More than 50% of pregnant women after the programs of assisted reproductive technologies (ART) face the problem of recurrent miscarriage (RMC), especially in the first trimester. Significant role in the development of RMC has infectious factor and chronic inflammation in the endometrium. The aim: to reveal the peculiarities of immune response mRNA genes of the inflammatory component expression in the period of the tentative implantation window (TIW) in women with RMC in ART programs. Material and methods. The main group consisted of 240 patients with RMC in ART programs; the control group included 100 conditionally healthy fertile women. On the ground of PCR reverse transcription, the mRNA of the IL-1β, IL-2, IL-10, Foxp3, TLR9, IL-2Rα cytokine genes was examined in endometrial samples obtained with the help of biopsy on the TIW day. Results. Analysis of the transcriptional profile of the immune response genes in the endometrium on TIW day revealed that the relative level of mRNA expression of the IL-1β, IL-2, Foxp3, TLR9, IL-2Rα genes did not differ significantly in the main and control groups. Statistically significant decrease in mRNA expression of IL-10 gene was observed in women with RPL. Conclusions. A feature of mRNA expression of the inflammatory component of the immune response in TIW period in women with RMC in ART programs is a decrease in the expression level of the IL-10 gene mRNA, which may be one of the reasons for the unfavorable outcomes of the onset pregnancy. Key words: recurrent miscarriage, assisted reproductive technologies, immune response, reverse transcription-polymerase chain reaction, tentative implantation window

The middle to Late Holocene environment on the Iturup Island (Kurils, North Western Pacific)

The Kuril Islands stretch southwest from Kamchatka, Russia, to Hokkaido, Japan and separate the Sea of Okhotsk from the northern Pacific Ocean. A series of transgressions and regressions linked to variations in climatically affected global ice volume are among the most important drivers of Holocene environmental changes in the region. Despite a long research history, reconstructions of the Holocene palaeoenvironment are sparse with inconsistent interpretations, arising from insufficient dating control, different temporal resolutions, and specific local geographical features, such as high tectonic activity and the isolated nature of the area. We have investigated a 550 cm lake sediment section from Iturup Island, the largest among the Kuril Islands. The 6600 year old sediment section was studied using sedimentological, geochemical, chironomid, diatom, and pollen analyses to reconstruct environmental and climatic changes and sea level fluctuations (transgression – regression stages). During the warm late phase of the Middle Holocene (6600–4400 cal BP) an open bay or lagoon with shallow overgrown littorals existed at the sampling site. The cooling between 5600 and 4400 cal BP can be correlated with Neoglacial cooling. The cool period between 4200 and 3200 cal BP was a transition towards the formation of a freshwater lagoon and can be related to a decline of the Japan Late Jomon transgression (Sakaguchi, 1983). Between 3200 and 2800 cal BP the lagoon separated from the marine environment in response to a further sea level decrease during the Japan Latest Jomon cold stage and regression. The following increase in the share of broad-leaved pollen indicated a slight warming (Yayoi transition stage) that was interrupted by a short-term cooling spell between 1500 and 1400 cal BP (cold Japan Kofun stage). The period between ca 1100 and 800 cal BP can be related to the European Medieval Climate Anomaly (MCA) or relatively dry Japan Nara-Heian-Kamakura warm stage. The Little Ice Age cooling and Edo regression were evident after ca 800 cal BP. Modern warming however is not well seen in the investigated core

Bayesian Approach to Particles Identification in the MPD Experimen

Identification of particles generated by ion collisions in the NICA collider is one of the basic functions of the Multipurpose Detector (MPD). The main means of identification in MPD are the time-of-flight system (TOF) and the time-projection chamber (TPC). The article considers the optimization of the algorithms of particles identification by these systems. Under certain conditions, the use of the statistical Bayesian approach has made it possible to achieve an optimal ratio of the efficiency of particle identification and contamination by incorrectly defined particles