An overview is given over recent measurement of flow and particle production in the energy range from 0.1 to 2 AGeV. Excitation functions for the directed sideward and the azimuthally symmetric ...transverse flow are presented and show the importance of flow phenomena in this incident energy regime. Rapidity density distributions are indicative of a system size dependence of the stopping process. The role of strange particles as a probe for the hot and dense phase of hadronic matter is discussed with respect to the production and propagation. The spectra of Kaons indicate an equilibration with the surrounding baryons during the expansion while their directed flow pattern is different from that of the nucleons.
Semi-inclusive triple differential multiplicity distributions of positively charged kaons have been measured over a wide range in rapidity and transverse mass for central collisions of $^{58}$Ni with ...$^{58}$Ni nuclei. The transverse mass ($m_t$) spectra have been studied as a function of rapidity at a beam energy 1.93 AGeV. The $m_t$ distributions of K^+ mesons are well described by a single Boltzmann-type function. The spectral slopes are similar to that of the protons indicating that rescattering plays a significant role in the propagation of the kaon. Multiplicity densities have been obtained as a function of rapidity by extrapolating the Boltzmann-type fits to the measured distributions over the remaining phase space. The total K^+ meson yield has been determined at beam energies of 1.06, 1.45, and 1.93 AGeV, and is presented in comparison to existing data. The low total yield indicates that the K^+ meson can not be explained within a hadro-chemical equilibrium scenario, therefore indicating that the yield does remain sensitive to effects related to its production processes such as the equation of state of nuclear matter and/or modifications to the K^+ dispersion relation.
Charged pion spectra measured in 58Ni-58Ni collisions at 1.06, 1.45 and 1.93 AGeV are interpreted in terms of a thermal model including the decay of Delta resonances. The transverse momentum spectra ...of pions are well reproduced by adding the pions originating from the Delta-resonance decay to the component of thermal pions, deduced from the high transverse momentum part of the pion spectra. About 10 and 18% of the nucleons are excited to Delta states at freeze-out for beam energies of 1 and 2 AGeV, respectively.
The mass distributions of baryon resonances populated in near-central collisions of Au on Au and Ni on Ni are deduced by defolding the $p_t$ spectra of charged pions by a method which does not depend ...on a specific resonance shape. In addition the mass distributions of resonances are obtained from the invariant masses of $(p, \pi^{\pm})$ pairs. With both methods the deduced mass distributions are shifted by an average value of -60 MeV/c$^2$ relative to the mass distribution of the free $\Delta(1232)$ resonance, the distributions descent almost exponentially towards mass values of 2000 MeV/c^2. The observed differences between $(p, \pi^-)$ and $(p, \pi^+)$ pairs indicate a contribution of isospin $I = 1/2$ resonances. The attempt to consistently describe the deduced mass distributions and the reconstructed kinetic energy spectra of the resonances leads to new insights about the freeze out conditions, i.e. to rather low temperatures and large expansion velocities.
This preliminary study evaluated the simultaneous presence of abnormalities in the regulation of eye-tracking and neuropsychological tests performance (tactile extinction) in a sample of ...schizophrenic patients. Both those measures of central malfunctioning appears to be quite specific to schizophrenic disorders and more related to the trait, rather than state characteristics. Even though preliminary, the results indicate a significant relationship between abnormalities in SPEM regulation and the distribution of tactile abnormalities, with more left-side extinguishing patients showing abnormal SPEMs. Some interpretations of the findings are given in the context of current hypotheses on the neurofunctional abnormalities of schizophrenics.
Collisions of Au on Au at incident energies of 150, 250 and 400
A·MeV were studied with the FOPI-facility at GSI Darmstadt. Nuclear charge (
Z ⩽ 15) and velocity of the products were detected with ...full azimuthal acceptance at laboratory angles 1° ⩽
θlab ⩽ 30°. Isotope separated light charged particles were measured with movable multiple telescopes in an angular range of 6–90°. Central collisions representing about 1% of the reaction cross section were selected by requiring high total transverse energy, but vanishing side flow. The velocity space distributions and yields of the emitted fragments are reported. the data are analysed in terms of a thermal model including radial flow. A comparison with predictions of the quantum molecular model is presented.
Collisions of Au on Au at incident energies of 150, 250 and 400 A MeV were studied with the FOPI-facility at GSI Darmstadt. Nuclear charge (Z 16) and velocity of the products were detected with full ...azimuthal acceptance at laboratory angles of 1-30 degrees. Isotope separated light charged particles were measured with movable multiple telescopes in an angular range of 6-90 degrees. Central collisions representing about 1 % of the reaction cross section were selected by requiring high total transverse energy, but vanishing sideflow. The velocity space distributions and yields of the emitted fragments are reported. The data are analysed in terms of a thermal model including radial flow. A comparison with predictions of the Quantum Molecular Model is presented.
Aldosterone synthase (CYP11B2) represents a promising drug target because its genetic dysregulation is causally associated with cardiovascular disease, its autonomous activity leads to primary ...aldosteronism, and its deficiency leads to salt wasting syndromes. The serendipitous discovery that the dextro-rotatory stereoisomer of the racemic aromatase (CYP19A1) inhibitor CGS16949A mediates potent CYP11B2 inhibition led to the purification and clinical development of dexfadrostat phosphate. To characterize the pharmacophore of dexfadrostat phosphate, structure-based enzyme coordination with CYP11B2, CYP11B1 and CYP19A1 was combined with steroid turnover upon in vitro and clinical treatment. Dexfadrostat, but not its 5S-enantiomer (5S-fadrozole), precisely coordinates with the catalytic heme moiety in the space of the CYP11B2 substrate binding pocket forming a tight and stable complex. Conversely, neither rigid nor flexible docking led to a plausible coordination geometry for dexfadrostat in steroid 11β-hydroxylase (CYP11B1 - orthologue to CYP11B2) or in CYP19A1. The inhibitory preference of dexfadrostat was confirmed in vitro using an adrenal cortex-derived cell line. Dexfadrostat phosphate treatment of healthy subjects in the context of a clinical phase 1 study led to a dose-dependent decrease in urinary aldosterone secretion, accompanied by an increase in urinary corticosterone and deoxycorticosterone metabolites. Increased urinary corticosterone metabolites are indicative of CYP11B2 (18-oxidase) inhibition with clinical features reminiscent of patients with inborn corticosterone methyloxidase type II deficiency. An off-target effect on CYP19A1 was not observed as indicated by no clinical changes in testosterone and estradiol levels. Therefore, dexfadrostat exhibits the ideal structural features for binding and catalytic inhibition of CYP11B2 but not CYP11B1. Clinically, treatment with dexfadrostat phosphate leads to suppression of aldosterone levels by inhibiting predominantly one or both final CYP11B2-mediated reactions.
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