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The pseudorapidity (η) and transverse-momentum (pT) distributions of charged particles produced in proton-proton collisions are measured at the centre-of-mass energy s√ = 13 TeV. The pseudorapidity distribution in |η|< 1.8 is reported for inelastic events and for events with at least one charged particle in |η|< 1. The pseudorapidity density of charged particles produced in the pseudorapidity region |η|< 0.5 is 5.31 ± 0.18 and 6.46 ± 0.19 for the two event classes, respectively. The transverse-momentum distribution of charged particles is measured in the range 0.15 < pT < 20 GeV/c and |η|< 0.8 for events with at least one charged particle in |η|< 1. The correlation between transverse momentum and particle multiplicity is also investigated by studying the evolution of the spectra with event multiplicity. The results are compared with calculations from PYTHIA and EPOS Monte Carlo generators.
The pseudorapidity density of charged particles (dNch/dη) at mid-rapidity in Pb-Pb collisions has been measured at a center-of-mass energy per nucleon pair of sNN−−−√ = 5.02 TeV. It increases with centrality and reaches a value of 1943±54 in |η|<0.5 for the 5% most central collisions. A rise in dNch/dη as a function of sNN−−−√ for the most central collisions is observed, steeper than that observed in proton-proton collisions and following the trend established by measurements at lower energy. The centrality dependence of dNch/dη as a function of the average number of participant nucleons, ⟨Npart⟩, calculated in a Glauber model, is compared with the previous measurement at lower energy. A constant factor of about 1.2 describes the increase in 2⟨Npart⟩⟨dNch/dη⟩ from sNN−−−√ = 2.76 TeV to sNN−−−√ = 5.02 TeV for all centrality intervals, within the measured range of 0-80% centrality. The results are also compared to models based on different mechanisms for particle production in nuclear collisions.
The pseudorapidity density of charged particles (dNch/dη) at mid-rapidity in Pb-Pb collisions has been measured at a center-of-mass energy per nucleon pair of sNN−−−√ = 5.02 TeV. It increases with centrality and reaches a value of 1943±54 in |η|<0.5 for the 5% most central collisions. A rise in dNch/dη as a function of sNN−−−√ for the most central collisions is observed, steeper than that observed in proton-proton collisions and following the trend established by measurements at lower energy. The centrality dependence of dNch/dη as a function of the average number of participant nucleons, ⟨Npart⟩, calculated in a Glauber model, is compared with the previous measurement at lower energy. A constant factor of about 1.2 describes the increase in 2⟨Npart⟩⟨dNch/dη⟩ from sNN−−−√ = 2.76 TeV to sNN−−−√ = 5.02 TeV for all centrality intervals, within the measured range of 0-80% centrality. The results are also compared to models based on different mechanisms for particle production in nuclear collisions.
The pseudorapidity density of charged particles (dNch/dη) at mid-rapidity in Pb-Pb collisions has been measured at a center-of-mass energy per nucleon pair of sNN−−−√ = 5.02 TeV. It increases with centrality and reaches a value of 1943±54 in |η|<0.5 for the 5% most central collisions. A rise in dNch/dη as a function of sNN−−−√ for the most central collisions is observed, steeper than that observed in proton-proton collisions and following the trend established by measurements at lower energy. The centrality dependence of dNch/dη as a function of the average number of participant nucleons, ⟨Npart⟩, calculated in a Glauber model, is compared with the previous measurement at lower energy. A constant factor of about 1.2 describes the increase in 2⟨Npart⟩⟨dNch/dη⟩ from sNN−−−√ = 2.76 TeV to sNN−−−√ = 5.02 TeV for all centrality intervals, within the measured range of 0-80% centrality. The results are also compared to models based on different mechanisms for particle production in nuclear collisions.
We report on measurements of a charge-dependent flow using a novel three-particle correlator with ALICE in Pb-Pb collisions at the LHC, and discuss the implications for observation of local parity violation and the Chiral Magnetic Wave (CMW) in heavy-ion collisions. Charge-dependent flow is reported for different collision centralities as a function of the event charge asymmetry. While our results are in qualitative agreement with expectations based on the CMW, the nonzero signal observed in higher harmonics correlations indicates a possible significant background contribution. We also present results on a differential correlator, where the flow of positive and negative charges is reported as a function of the mean charge of the particles and their pseudorapidity separation. We argue that this differential correlator is better suited to distinguish the differences in positive and negative charges expected due to the CMW and the background effects, such as local charge conservation coupled with strong radial and anisotropic flow.
We report on measurements of a charge-dependent flow using a novel three-particle correlator with ALICE in Pb-Pb collisions at the LHC, and discuss the implications for observation of local parity violation and the Chiral Magnetic Wave (CMW) in heavy-ion collisions. Charge-dependent flow is reported for different collision centralities as a function of the event charge asymmetry. While our results are in qualitative agreement with expectations based on the CMW, the nonzero signal observed in higher harmonics correlations indicates a possible significant background contribution. We also present results on a differential correlator, where the flow of positive and negative charges is reported as a function of the mean charge of the particles and their pseudorapidity separation. We argue that this differential correlator is better suited to distinguish the differences in positive and negative charges expected due to the CMW and the background effects, such as local charge conservation coupled with strong radial and anisotropic flow.
The production of J/ψ and ψ(2S) was measured with the ALICE detector in Pb-Pb collisions at the LHC. The measurement was performed at forward rapidity (2.5<y<4) down to zero transverse momentum (pT) in the dimuon decay channel. Inclusive J/ψ yields were extracted in different centrality classes and the centrality dependence of the average pT is presented. The J/ψ suppression, quantified with the nuclear modification factor (RAA), was studied as a function of centrality, transverse momentum and rapidity. Comparisons with similar measurements at lower collision energy and theoretical models indicate that the J/ψ production is the result of an interplay between color screening and recombination mechanisms in a deconfined partonic medium, or at its hadronization. Results on the ψ(2S) suppression are provided via the ratio of ψ(2S) over J/ψ measured in pp and Pb-Pb collisions.
The production of J/ψ and ψ(2S) was measured with the ALICE detector in Pb-Pb collisions at the LHC. The measurement was performed at forward rapidity (2.5<y<4) down to zero transverse momentum (pT) in the dimuon decay channel.
Inclusive J/ψ yields were extracted in different centrality classes and the centrality dependence of the average pT is presented. The J/ψ suppression, quantified with the nuclear modification factor (RAA), was studied as a function of centrality, transverse momentum and rapidity. Comparisons with similar measurements at lower collision energy and theoretical models indicate that the J/ψ production is the result of an interplay between color screening and recombination mechanisms in a deconfined partonic medium, or at its hadronization. Results on the ψ(2S) suppression are provided via the ratio of ψ(2S) over J/ψ measured in pp and Pb-Pb collisions.
We present a measurement of inclusive J/ψ production in p-Pb collisions at sNN−−−√ = 5.02 TeV as a function of the centrality of the collision, as estimated from the energy deposited in the Zero Degree Calorimeters. The measurement is performed with the ALICE detector down to zero transverse momentum, pT, in the backward (−4.46<ycms<−2.96) and forward (2.03<ycms<3.53) rapidity intervals in the dimuon decay channel and in the mid-rapidity region (−1.37<ycms<0.43) in the dielectron decay channel. The backward and forward rapidity intervals correspond to the Pb-going and p-going direction, respectively. The pT-differential J/ψ production cross section at backward and forward rapidity is measured for several centrality classes, together with the corresponding average pT and p2T values. The nuclear modification factor, QpPb, is presented as a function of centrality for the three rapidity intervals, and, additionally, at backward and forward rapidity, as a function of pT for several centrality classes. At mid- and forward rapidity, the J/ψ yield is suppressed up to 40% compared to that in pp interactions scaled by the number of binary collisions. The degree of suppression increases towards central p-Pb collisions at forward rapidity, and with decreasing pT of the J/ψ. At backward rapidity, the QpPb is compatible with unity within the total uncertainties, with an increasing trend from peripheral to central p-Pb collisions.
We present a measurement of inclusive J/ψ production in p-Pb collisions at sNN−−−√ = 5.02 TeV as a function of the centrality of the collision, as estimated from the energy deposited in the Zero Degree Calorimeters. The measurement is performed with the ALICE detector down to zero transverse momentum, pT, in the backward (−4.46<ycms<−2.96) and forward (2.03<ycms<3.53) rapidity intervals in the dimuon decay channel and in the mid-rapidity region (−1.37<ycms<0.43) in the dielectron decay channel. The backward and forward rapidity intervals correspond to the Pb-going and p-going direction, respectively. The pT-differential J/ψ production cross section at backward and forward rapidity is measured for several centrality classes, together with the corresponding average pT and p2T values. The nuclear modification factor, QpPb, is presented as a function of centrality for the three rapidity intervals, and, additionally, at backward and forward rapidity, as a function of pT for several centrality classes. At mid- and forward rapidity, the J/ψ yield is suppressed up to 40% compared to that in pp interactions scaled by the number of binary collisions. The degree of suppression increases towards central p-Pb collisions at forward rapidity, and with decreasing pT of the J/ψ. At backward rapidity, the QpPb is compatible with unity within the total uncertainties, with an increasing trend from peripheral to central p-Pb collisions.
Long-range angular correlations on the near and away side in p–Pb collisions at √sNN=5.02 TeV
(2013)
Angular correlations between charged trigger and associated particles are measured by the ALICE detector in p–Pb collisions at a nucleon–nucleon centre-of-mass energy of 5.02 TeV for transverse momentum ranges within 0.5<pT,assoc<pT,trig<4 GeV/c. The correlations are measured over two units of pseudorapidity and full azimuthal angle in different intervals of event multiplicity, and expressed as associated yield per trigger particle. Two long-range ridge-like structures, one on the near side and one on the away side, are observed when the per-trigger yield obtained in low-multiplicity events is subtracted from the one in high-multiplicity events. The excess on the near-side is qualitatively similar to that recently reported by the CMS Collaboration, while the excess on the away-side is reported for the first time. The two-ridge structure projected onto azimuthal angle is quantified with the second and third Fourier coefficients as well as by near-side and away-side yields and widths. The yields on the near side and on the away side are equal within the uncertainties for all studied event multiplicity and pT bins, and the widths show no significant evolution with event multiplicity or pT. These findings suggest that the near-side ridge is accompanied by an essentially identical away-side ridge.
Background: Bacterial burden as well as duration of bacteremia influence the outcome of patients with bloodstream infections. Promptly decreasing bacterial load in the blood by using extracorporeal devices in addition to anti-infective therapy has recently been explored. Preclinical studies with the Seraph® 100 Microbind® Affinity Blood Filter (Seraph® 100), which consists of heparin that is covalently bound to polymer beads, have demonstrated an effective binding of bacteria and viruses. Pathogens adhere to the heparin coated polymer beads in the adsorber as they would normally do to heparan sulfate on cell surfaces. Using this biomimetic principle, the Seraph® 100 could help to decrease bacterial burden in vivo.
Methods: This first in human, prospective, multicenter, non-randomized interventional study included patients with blood culture positive bloodstream infection and the need for kidney replacement therapy as an adjunctive treatment for bloodstream infections. We performed a single four-hour hemoperfusion treatment with the Seraph® 100 in conjunction with a dialysis procedure. Post procedure follow up was 14 days.
Results: Fifteen hemodialysis patients (3F/12 M, age 74.0 [68.0–78.5] years, dialysis vintage 28.0 [11.0–45.0] months) were enrolled. Seraph® 100 treatment started 66.4 [45.7–80.6] hours after the initial positive blood culture was drawn. During the treatment with the Seraph® 100 with a median blood flow of 285 [225–300] ml/min no device or treatment related adverse events were reported. Blood pressure and heart rate remained stable while peripheral oxygen saturation improved during the treatment from 98.0 [92.5–98.0] to 99.0 [98.0–99.5] %; p = 0.0184. Four patients still had positive blood culture at the start of Seraph® 100 treatment. In one patient blood cultures turned negative during treatment. The time to positivity (TTP) was increased between inflow and outflow blood cultures by 36 [− 7.2 to 96.3] minutes. However, overall TTP increase was not statistical significant.
Conclusions: Seraph® 100 treatment was well tolerated. Adding Seraph® 100 to antibiotics early in the course of bacteremia might result in a faster resolution of bloodstream infections, which has to be evaluated in further studies.
Background: Nitric oxide (NO) is an essential vasodilator. In vascular diseases, oxidative stress attenuates NO signaling by both chemical scavenging of free NO and oxidation and down-regulation of its major intracellular receptor, the alpha/beta heterodimeric heme-containing soluble guanylate cyclase (sGC). Oxidation can also induce loss of sGC's heme and responsiveness to NO.
Results: sGC activators such as BAY 58-2667 bind to oxidized/heme-free sGC and reactivate the enzyme to exert disease-specific vasodilation. Here we show that oxidation-induced down-regulation of sGC protein extends to isolated blood vessels. Mechanistically, degradation was triggered through sGC ubiquitination and proteasomal degradation. The heme-binding site ligand, BAY 58-2667, prevented sGC ubiquitination and stabilized both alpha and beta subunits.
Conclusion: Collectively, our data establish oxidation-ubiquitination of sGC as a modulator of NO/cGMP signaling and point to a new mechanism of action for sGC activating vasodilators by stabilizing their receptor, oxidized/heme-free sGC.
Oxidative stress attenuates the NO-cGMP pathway, e.g. in the vascular system, through scavenging of free NO radicals by superoxide O2•-, by inactivation of soluble guanylyl cyclase (sGC) via oxidation of its central Fe2+ ion, and by down-regulation of sGC protein levels. While the former pathways are well established, the molecular mechanisms underlying the latter are still obscure. Using oxidative sGC inhibitor ODQ we demonstrate rapid down-regulation of sGC protein in mammalian cells. Co-incubation with proteasomal inhibitor MG132 results in accumulation of ubiquitinated sGC whereas sGC activator BAY 58–2667 prevents ubiquitination. ODQ-induced down-regulation of sGC is mediated through selective ubiquitination of its b subunit, and BAY 58–2667 abrogates this effect. Ubiquitination of sGC-b is dramatically enhanced by E3 ligase CHIP. Our data indicate that oxidative stress promotes ubiquitination of sGC b subunit through E3 ligase CHIP, and that sGC activator 58–2667 reverts this effect, most likely through stabilization of the heme-free b subunit. Thus the deleterious effects of oxidative stress can be counter-balanced by an activator of a key enzyme of vascular homeostasis.
A central motivation for the development of x-ray free-electron lasers has been the prospect of time-resolved single-molecule imaging with atomic resolution. Here, we show that x-ray photoelectron diffraction—where a photoelectron emitted after x-ray absorption illuminates the molecular structure from within—can be used to image the increase of the internuclear distance during the x-ray-induced fragmentation of an O2 molecule. By measuring the molecular-frame photoelectron emission patterns for a two-photon sequential K-shell ionization in coincidence with the fragment ions, and by sorting the data as a function of the measured kinetic energy release, we can resolve the elongation of the molecular bond by approximately 1.2 a.u. within the duration of the x-ray pulse. The experiment paves the road toward time-resolved pump-probe photoelectron diffraction imaging at high-repetition-rate x-ray free-electron lasers.
Measurements of the production of electrons from heavy-flavour hadron decays in pp collisions at s√=13 TeV at midrapidity with the ALICE detector are presented down to a transverse momentum (pT) of 0.2 GeV/c and up to pT=35 GeV/c, which is the largest momentum range probed for inclusive electron measurements in ALICE. In p−Pb collisions, the production cross section and the nuclear modification factor of electrons from heavy-flavour hadron decays are measured in the pT range 0.5<pT<26 GeV/c at sNN−−−√=8.16 TeV. The nuclear modification factor is found to be consistent with unity within the statistical and systematic uncertainties. In both collision systems, first measurements of the yields of electrons from heavy-flavour hadron decays in different multiplicity intervals normalised to the multiplicity-integrated yield (self-normalised yield) at midrapidity are reported as a function of the self-normalised charged-particle multiplicity estimated at midrapidity. The self-normalised yields in pp and p−Pb collisions grow faster than linear with the self-normalised multiplicity. A strong pT dependence is observed in pp collisions, where the yield of high-pT electrons increases faster as a function of multiplicity than the one of low-pT electrons. The measurement in p−Pb collisions shows no pT dependence within uncertainties. The self-normalised yields in pp and p−Pb collisions are compared with measurements of other heavy-flavour, light-flavour, and strange particles, and with Monte Carlo simulations.
The nucleosynthesis of elements beyond iron is dominated by neutron captures in the s and r processes. However, 32 stable, proton-rich isotopes cannot be formed during those processes, because they are shielded from the s-process flow and r-process β-decay chains. These nuclei are attributed to the p and rp process.
For all those processes, current research in nuclear astrophysics addresses the need for more precise reaction data involving radioactive isotopes. Depending on the particular reaction, direct or inverse kinematics, forward or time-reversed direction are investigated to determine or at least to constrain the desired reaction cross sections.
The Facility for Antiproton and Ion Research (FAIR) will offer unique, unprecedented opportunities to investigate many of the important reactions. The high yield of radioactive isotopes, even far away from the valley of stability, allows the investigation of isotopes involved in processes as exotic as the r or rp processes.
Measurements of the π±, K±, and proton double differential yields emitted from the surface of the 90-cm-long carbon target (T2K replica) were performed for the incoming 31 GeV/c protons with the NA61/SHINE spectrometer at the CERN SPS using data collected during 2010 run. The double differential π± yields were measured with increased precision compared to the previously published NA61/SHINE results, while the K± and proton yields were obtained for the first time. A strategy for dealing with the dependence of the results on the incoming proton beam profile is proposed. The purpose of these measurements is to reduce significantly the (anti)neutrino flux uncertainty in the T2K long-baseline neutrino experiment by constraining the production of (anti)neutrino ancestors coming from the T2K target.
We present measurements of ρ0, ω and K∗0 spectra in π−+ C production interactions at 158 GeV / c and ρ0 spectra at 350 GeV / c using the NA61/SHINE spectrometer at the CERN SPS. Spectra are presented as a function of the Feynman’s variable xF in the range 0<xF<1 and 0<xF<0.5 for 158 and 350 GeV / c respectively. Furthermore, we show comparisons with previous measurements and predictions of several hadronic interaction models. These measurements are essential for a better understanding of hadronic shower development and for improving the modeling of cosmic ray air showers.
his Erratum replaces incorrect plots shown in Fig. 7 with the corrected ones. In the publication, the NA57 [1] ratios of Ξ− and Ξ¯¯¯¯+ to the number of wounded nucleons at ⟨NW⟩=349 by mistake were plotted at the wrong values. The ratios were calculated and plotted by mistake using ⟨NW⟩=249.
The correct normalization does not change the conclusions of the paper. The correctly normalized results are presented in Fig. 7.
The production of Ξ(1321)− and Ξ¯¯¯¯(1321)+ hyperons in inelastic p+p interactions is studied in a fixed target experiment at a beam momentum of 158 GeV/c. Double differential distributions in rapidity y and transverse momentum pT are obtained from a sample of 33M inelastic events. They allow to extrapolate the spectra to full phase space and to determine the mean multiplicity of both Ξ− and Ξ¯¯¯¯+. The rapidity and transverse momentum spectra are compared to transport model predictions. The Ξ− mean multiplicity in inelastic p+p interactions at 158 GeV/c is used to quantify the strangeness enhancement in A+A collisions at the same centre-of-mass energy per nucleon pair.
The physics goal of the strong interaction program of the NA61/SHINE experiment at the CERN Super Proton Synchrotron (SPS) is to study the phase diagram of hadronic matter by a scan of particle production in collisions of nuclei with various sizes at a set of energies covering the SPS energy range. This paper presents differential inclusive spectra of transverse momentum, transverse mass and rapidity of π− mesons produced in central 40Ar+45Sc collisions at beam momenta of 13A, 19A, 30A, 40A, 75A and 150A Ge V /c. Energy and system size dependence of parameters of these distributions – mean transverse mass, the inverse slope parameter of transverse mass spectra, width of the rapidity distribution and mean multiplicity – are presented and discussed. Furthermore, the dependence of the ratio of the mean number of produced pions to the mean number of wounded nucleons on the collision energy was derived. The results are compared to predictions of several models.
A measurement of charged hadron pair correlations in two-dimensional ηφ space is presented. The analysis is based on total 30 million central Be + Be collisions observed in the NA61/SHINE detector at the CERN SPS for incident beam momenta of 19A, 30A, 40A, 75A, and 150A GeV/c. Measurements were carried out for unlike-sign and like-sign charge hadron pairs independently. The C(η, φ) correlation functions were compared with results from a similar analysis on p + p interactions at similar beam momenta per nucleon. General trends of the backto-back correlations are similar in central Be + Be collisions and p + p interactions, but are suppressed in magnitude due to the increased combinatorial background. Predictions from the Epos and UrQMD models are compared to the measurements. Evolution of an enhancement around (η, φ) = (0, 0) with incident energy is observed in central Be + Be collisions. It is not predicted by both models and almost non-existing in proton–proton collisions at the same momentum per nucleon.
Investigators in the cognitive neurosciences have turned to Big Data to address persistent replication and reliability issues by increasing sample sizes, statistical power, and representativeness of data. While there is tremendous potential to advance science through open data sharing, these efforts unveil a host of new questions about how to integrate data arising from distinct sources and instruments. We focus on the most frequently assessed area of cognition - memory testing - and demonstrate a process for reliable data harmonization across three common measures. We aggregated raw data from 53 studies from around the world which measured at least one of three distinct verbal learning tasks, totaling N = 10,505 healthy and brain-injured individuals. A mega analysis was conducted using empirical bayes harmonization to isolate and remove site effects, followed by linear models which adjusted for common covariates. After corrections, a continuous item response theory (IRT) model estimated each individual subject’s latent verbal learning ability while accounting for item difficulties. Harmonization significantly reduced inter-site variance by 37% while preserving covariate effects. The effects of age, sex, and education on scores were found to be highly consistent across memory tests. IRT methods for equating scores across AVLTs agreed with held-out data of dually-administered tests, and these tools are made available for free online. This work demonstrates that large-scale data sharing and harmonization initiatives can offer opportunities to address reproducibility and integration challenges across the behavioral sciences.
Anorexia nervosa (AN) is a complex neuropsychiatric disorder presenting with dangerously low body weight, and a deep and persistent fear of gaining weight. To date, only one genome-wide significant locus associated with AN has been identified. We performed an exome-chip based genome-wide association studies (GWAS) in 2158 cases from nine populations of European origin and 15 485 ancestrally matched controls. Unlike previous studies, this GWAS also probed association in low-frequency and rare variants. Sixteen independent variants were taken forward for in silico and de novo replication (11 common and 5 rare). No findings reached genome-wide significance. Two notable common variants were identified: rs10791286, an intronic variant in OPCML (P=9.89 × 10−6), and rs7700147, an intergenic variant (P=2.93 × 10−5). No low-frequency variant associations were identified at genome-wide significance, although the study was well-powered to detect low-frequency variants with large effect sizes, suggesting that there may be no AN loci in this genomic search space with large effect sizes.
The present study concerns the development of a computerized tool targeting housing accessibility issues. A user-centered approach involving professionals from the housing sector and senior citizens from four European countries resulted in a fully functional prototype of a mobile application (app) including an apartment database. The app raises awareness on housing accessibility and has the potential to support decision making and strengthen all citizens regardless of functional capacity to be more active in their endeavors for a satisfying housing solution. Further refinements and additional features are needed to enhance the potential benefits; they include addressing potential challenges facing senior citizens, developing interactive features that allow users to provide input and adapting to different national contexts to make the app applicable for the European market.
Phase transitions in a non-perturbative regime can be studied by ab initio Lattice Field Theory methods. The status and future research directions for LFT investigations of Quantum Chromo-Dynamics under extreme conditions are reviewed, including properties of hadrons and of the hypothesized QCD axion as inferred from QCD topology in different phases. We discuss phase transitions in strong interactions in an extended parameter space, and the possibility of model building for Dark Matter and Electro-Weak Symmetry Breaking. Methodological challenges are addressed as well, including new developments in Artificial Intelligence geared towards the identification of different phases and transitions.
Aims: Carotid intima media thickness (CIMT) predicts cardiovascular (CVD) events, but the predictive value of CIMT change is debated. We assessed the relation between CIMT change and events in individuals at high cardiovascular risk.
Methods and results: From 31 cohorts with two CIMT scans (total n = 89070) on average 3.6 years apart and clinical follow-up, subcohorts were drawn: (A) individuals with at least 3 cardiovascular risk factors without previous CVD events, (B) individuals with carotid plaques without previous CVD events, and (C) individuals with previous CVD events. Cox regression models were fit to estimate the hazard ratio (HR) of the combined endpoint (myocardial infarction, stroke or vascular death) per standard deviation (SD) of CIMT change, adjusted for CVD risk factors. These HRs were pooled across studies.
In groups A, B and C we observed 3483, 2845 and 1165 endpoint events, respectively. Average common CIMT was 0.79mm (SD 0.16mm), and annual common CIMT change was 0.01mm (SD 0.07mm), both in group A. The pooled HR per SD of annual common CIMT change (0.02 to 0.43mm) was 0.99 (95% confidence interval: 0.95–1.02) in group A, 0.98 (0.93–1.04) in group B, and 0.95 (0.89–1.04) in group C. The HR per SD of common CIMT (average of the first and the second CIMT scan, 0.09 to 0.75mm) was 1.15 (1.07–1.23) in group A, 1.13 (1.05–1.22) in group B, and 1.12 (1.05–1.20) in group C.
Conclusions: We confirm that common CIMT is associated with future CVD events in individuals at high risk. CIMT change does not relate to future event risk in high-risk individuals.
New neutron cross section measurements of minor actinides have been performed recently in order to reduce the uncertainties in the evaluated data, which is important for the design of advanced nuclear reactors and, in particular, for determining their performance in the transmutation of nuclear waste. We have measured the 241Am(n,γ) cross section at the n_TOF facility between 0.2 eV and 10 keV with a BaF2 Total Absorption Calorimeter, and the analysis of the measurement has been recently concluded. Our results are in reasonable agreement below 20 eV with the ones published by C. Lampoudis et al. in 2013, who reported a 22% larger capture cross section up to 110 eV compared to experimental and evaluated data published before. Our results also indicate that the 241Am(n,γ) cross section is underestimated in the present evaluated libraries between 20 eV and 2 keV by 25%, on average, and up to 35% for certain evaluations and energy ranges.
The consequences of the current COVID-19 pandemic for mental health remain unclear, especially regarding the effects on suicidal behaviors. To assess changes in the pattern of suicide attempt (SA) admissions and completed suicides (CS) in association with the COVID-19 pandemic. As part of a longitudinal study, SA admissions and CS are systematically documented and analyzed in all psychiatric hospitals in Frankfurt/Main (765.000 inhabitants). Number, sociodemographic factors, diagnoses and methods of SA and CS were compared between the periods of March–December 2019 and March–December 2020. The number of CS did not change, while the number of SA significantly decreased. Age, sex, occupational status, and psychiatric diagnoses did not change in SA, whereas the percentage of patients living alone while attempting suicide increased. The rate and number of intoxications as a SA method increased and more people attempted suicide in their own home, which was not observed in CS. Such a shift from public places to home is supported by the weekday of SA, as the rate of SA on weekends was significantly lower during the pandemic, likely because of lockdown measures. Only admissions to psychiatric hospitals were recorded, but not to other institutions. As it seems unlikely that the number of SA decreased while the number of CS remained unchanged, it is conceivable that the number of unreported SA cases increased during the pandemic. Our data suggest that a higher number of SA remained unnoticed during the pandemic because of their location and the use of methods associated with lower lethality.
Knowledge about the biogeographic affinities of the world’s tropical forests helps to better understand regional differences in forest structure, diversity, composition, and dynamics. Such understanding will enable anticipation of region-specific responses to global environmental change. Modern phylogenies, in combination with broad coverage of species inventory data, now allow for global biogeographic analyses that take species evolutionary distance into account. Here we present a classification of the world’s tropical forests based on their phylogenetic similarity. We identify five principal floristic regions and their floristic relationships: (i) Indo-Pacific, (ii) Subtropical, (iii) African, (iv) American, and (v) Dry forests. Our results do not support the traditional neo- versus paleotropical forest division but instead separate the combined American and African forests from their Indo-Pacific counterparts. We also find indications for the existence of a global dry forest region, with representatives in America, Africa, Madagascar, and India. Additionally, a northern-hemisphere Subtropical forest region was identified with representatives in Asia and America, providing support for a link between Asian and American northern-hemisphere forests.
Innerhalb der sozialen Insekten haben viele Gruppen die faszinierende Fähigkeit entwickelt, Nestgenossinnen zu rekrutieren. Rekrutierung beruht auf einer Kommunikation, die angewandt wird, um Mitglieder des Nestes zu einem bestimmten Ort zu bringen, wo Arbeit von Nöten ist (Wilson 1971). Daher beinhaltet die Rekrutierungskommunikation sowohl die Aktivierung von Nestgenossinnen innerhalb des Nestes, als auch die Orientierungshilfen für das Auffinden des Zielortes (Traniello & Robson 1995). Die stachellosen Bienen (Hymenoptera, Meliponini) sind unter den sozialen Insekten eine hoch diverse Tiergruppe (über 400 Arten, Michener 2000). Sie eignen sich ausgezeichnet für die Untersuchung der ebenso diversen Rekrutierungs- und Kommunikationsmechanismen. Bei stachellosen Bienen, wie bei anderen sozialen Insekten, beeinflusst die Güte der Futterquelle die Rekrutierung. Bisher wurde an Arten, die keinen Duftpfad legen, gezeigt, dass zu ertragreichen Futterquellen mehr Bienen rekrutiert werden als zu weniger ertragreichen (Biesmeijer & Ermers 1999). In der vorliegenden Arbeit wurde erstmals untersucht, wie die Zuckerkonzentration des Futters die Rekrutierung einer Art (Scaptotrigona aff. depilis) beeinflusst, welche Rekruten durch das Auslegen eines Duftpfades zur Futterquelle führt (Schmidt & al. 2006b).
Gibt es eine moderne Religion? : Jürgen Habermas und die Idee der "postsäkularen Gesellschaft"
(2009)
Das Verhältnis von Religion und Moderne ist in jüngster Zeit wieder zu einem heißen Konfliktherd geworden. So geht es beim Streit um die Piusbrüderschaft im Kern darum, ob eine religiöse Tradition die Kontinuität und Verbindlichkeit ihrer Überlieferung aufrechterhalten und zugleich an wesentliche Einsichten und normative Prinzipien der Moderne anschließen kann. Die traditionalistischen Kritiker des II. Vatikanischen Konzils behaupten, dass religiöse Institutionen wie die katholische Kirche ihre Identität in dem Maße verlieren, in dem sie ein bejahendes und konstruktives Verhältnis zur modernen Gesellschaft entwickeln. Die Anerkennung der Menschenrechte und der Ideen der Französischen Revolution durch das Konzil, also die Akzeptanz des Prinzips der Freiheit in Gestalt der Religionsfreiheit, der Gleichheit als Gleichberechtigung und Gleichwertigkeit aller Religionen und der Brüderlichkeit im Sinne einer gemeinsamen und solidarischen Weltverantwortung »aller Menschen guten Willens« bildet für die reaktionären Kritiker den eigentlichen Skandal der Öffnung der Kirche zur säkularen Moderne. Die unbeholfenen und viele empörenden Versuche der Resozialisierung der Piusbrüder sind letztlich unvollständige und unvollkommene Ansätze, auf eine kulturelle und gesellschaftliche Konstellation zu reagieren, für die Jürgen Habermas den prägnanten Ausdruck »postsäkulare Gesellschaft« geprägt hat. Diese Situation ist nach Habermas nämlich dadurch gekennzeichnet, dass sich religiöse Gemeinschaften auch in einer modernen Lebenswelt dauerhaft einrichten und in ihr fortbestehen. Wir haben laut Habermas Abschied zu nehmen von der Vorstellung eines linearen historischen Prozesses, der zwangsläufig zum Absterben der Religion führen wird. Allerdings schreitet die gesellschaftliche Säkularisierung im Sinne einer Ausdifferenzierung gesellschaftlicher Systeme und einer Pluralisierung von Weltanschauungen weiter voran.
Neurowissenschaftler fordern einen illusionslosen Umgang mit Begriffen wie Willensfreiheit und Bewusstsein. Philosophen kritisieren offen die Thesen von Hirnforschern. Stehen sich diese Positionen unversöhnlich gegenüber? Wo gibt es Möglichkeiten einer Annäherung, gar einer Kooperation? Der Religionsphilosoph Prof. Dr. Thomas M. Schmidt und der Biologe Stefan Kieß loten die Situation in Frankfurt aus; ihre Gesprächspartner sind der Hirnforscher Prof. Dr. Wolf Singer (links), Direktor am Max-Planck-Institut für Hirnforschung, und Prof. Dr. Marcus Willaschek (rechts), Philosoph an der Universität Frankfurt.
Background: Circulating progenitor cells (CPC) contribute to the homeostasis of the vessel wall, and a reduced CPC count predicts cardiovascular morbidity and mortality. We tested the hypothesis that CPC count improves cardiovascular risk stratification and that this is modulated by low-grade inflammation. Methodology/Principal Findings: We pooled data from 4 longitudinal studies, including a total of 1,057 patients having CPC determined and major adverse cardiovascular events (MACE) collected. We recorded cardiovascular risk factors and high-sensitive C-reactive protein (hsCRP) level. Risk estimates were derived from Cox proportional hazard analyses. CPC count and/or hsCRP level were added to a reference model including age, sex, cardiovascular risk factors, prevalent CVD, chronic renal failure (CRF) and medications. The sample was composed of high-risk individuals, as 76.3% had prevalent CVD and 31.6% had CRF. There were 331 (31.3%) incident MACE during an average 1.7±1.1 year follow-up time. CPC count was independently associated with incident MACE even after correction for hsCRP. According to C-statistics, models including CPC yielded a non-significant improvement in accuracy of MACE prediction. However, the integrated discrimination improvement index (IDI) showed better performance of models including CPC compared to the reference model and models including hsCRP in identifying MACE. CPC count also yielded significant net reclassification improvements (NRI) for CV death, non-fatal AMI and other CV events. The effect of CPC was independent of hsCRP, but there was a significant more-than-additive interaction between low CPC count and raised hsCRP level in predicting incident MACE. Conclusions/Significance: In high risk individuals, a reduced CPC count helps identifying more patients at higher risk of MACE over the short term, especially in combination with a raised hsCRP level.
Within the visual cortex, it has been proposed that interhemispheric interactions serve to re-establish the continuity of the visual field across its vertical meridian (VM) by mechanisms similar to those used by intrinsic connections within a hemisphere. However, other specific functions of transcallosal projections have also been proposed, including contributing to disparity tuning and depth perception. Here, we consider whether interhemispheric connections modulate specific response properties, orientation and direction selectivity, of neurons in areas 17 and 18 of the ferret by combining reversible thermal deactivation in one hemisphere with optical imaging of intrinsic signals and single-cell electrophysiology in the other hemisphere. We found interhemispheric influences on both the strength and specificity of the responses to stimulus orientation and direction of motion, predominantly at the VM. However, neurons and domains preferring cardinal contours, in particular vertical contours, seem to receive stronger interhemispheric input than others. This finding is compatible with interhemispheric connections being involved in horizontal disparity tuning. In conclusion, our results support the view that interhemispheric interactions mainly perform integrative functions similar to those of connections intrinsic to one hemisphere. Key words: cooling deactivation , corpus callosum , ferret , optical imaging , orientation selectivity
A novel interhemispheric interaction: modulation of neuronal cooperativity in the visual areas
(2007)
Background: The cortical representation of the visual field is split along the vertical midline, with the left and the right hemi-fields projecting to separate hemispheres. Connections between the visual areas of the two hemispheres are abundant near the representation of the visual midline. It was suggested that they re-establish the functional continuity of the visual field by controlling the dynamics of the responses in the two hemispheres. Methods/Principal Findings: To understand if and how the interactions between the two hemispheres participate in processing visual stimuli, the synchronization of responses to identical or different moving gratings in the two hemi-fields were studied in anesthetized ferrets. The responses were recorded by multiple electrodes in the primary visual areas and the synchronization of local field potentials across the electrodes were analyzed with a recent method derived from dynamical system theory. Inactivating the visual areas of one hemisphere modulated the synchronization of the stimulus-driven activity in the other hemisphere. The modulation was stimulus-specific and was consistent with the fine morphology of callosal axons in particular with the spatio-temporal pattern of activity that axonal geometry can generate. Conclusions/Significance: These findings describe a new kind of interaction between the cerebral hemispheres and highlight the role of axonal geometry in modulating aspects of cortical dynamics responsible for stimulus detection and/or categorization.
Enzymes involved in tRNA maturation are essential for cytosolic, mitochondrial, and plastid protein synthesis and are therefore localized to these different compartments of the cell. Interestingly, only one isoform of tRNA nucleotidyltransferase (responsible for adding the 3′-terminal cytidine–cytidine–adenosine to tRNAs) has been identified in plants. The present study therefore explored how signals contained on this enzyme allow it to be distributed among the different cell compartments. It is demonstrated that the N-terminal portion of the protein acts as an organellar targeting signal and that differential use of multiple in-frame start codons alters the localization of the protein. Moreover, it is shown that the mature domain has a major impact on the distribution of the protein within the cell. These data indicate that regulation of dual localization involves not only specific N-terminal signals, but also additional factors within the protein or the cell.
Modelling protein structure seems a challenging enterprise because the number of structure parameters required ordinarily exceeds the amount of independent data points available from experimental observations. Expressing the predominant conformation of a protein in terms of a geometry model, a polypeptide chain consisting of N atoms would command 3N – 6 Cartesian coordinates be fixed. Even for small proteins, this becomes a daunting number. Fortunately, so-called holonomic constraints limit the number of variables, leaving substantially fewer, truly relevant parameters for folding the polypeptide chain into its native tertiary structure. For example, adjusting bond lengths and the many angles between the covalent bonds connecting the atoms is of little concern and appropriate standard values can be inserted from tableworks (Pople & Gordon, 1967; Engh & Huber, 1991, 2006). Table 1 exemplifies for the 147-residue protein Desulfovibrio vulgaris flavodoxin how the number of truly independent internal rotational degrees of freedom amounts to less than one-tenth of the Cartesian coordinate set size...
Cell-free expression represents an attractive method to produce large quantities of selectively labeled protein for NMR applications. Here, cell-free expression was used to label specific regions of the growth hormone secretagogue receptor (GHSR) with NMR-active isotopes. The GHSR is a member of the class A family of G protein-coupled receptors. A cell-free expression system was established to produce the GHSR in the precipitated form. The solubilized receptor was refolded in vitro and reconstituted into DMPC lipid membranes. Methionines, arginines, and histidines were chosen for 13C-labeling as they are representative for the transmembrane domains, the loops and flanking regions of the transmembrane α-helices, and the C-terminus of the receptor, respectively. The dynamics of the isotopically labeled residues was characterized by solid-state NMR measuring motionally averaged 1H-13C dipolar couplings, which were converted into molecular order parameters. Separated local field DIPSHIFT experiments under magic-angle spinning conditions using either varying cross polarization contact times or direct excitation provided order parameters for these residues showing that the C-terminus was the segment with the highest motional amplitude. The loop regions and helix ends as well as the transmembrane regions of the GHSR represent relatively rigid segments in the overall very flexible receptor molecule. Although no site resolution could be achieved in the experiments, the previously reported highly dynamic character of the receptor concluded from uniformly 13C labeled receptor samples could be further specified by this segmental labeling approach, leading to a more diversified understanding. of the receptor dynamics under equilibrium conditions
Protein folding in cells is regulated by networks of chaperones, including the heat shock protein 70 (Hsp70) system, which consists of the Hsp40 cochaperone and a nucleotide exchange factor. Hsp40 mediates complex formation between Hsp70 and client proteins prior to interaction with Hsp90. We used mass spectrometry (MS) to monitor assemblies formed between eukaryotic Hsp90/Hsp70/Hsp40, Hop, p23, and a client protein, a fragment of the glucocorticoid receptor (GR). We found that Hsp40 promotes interactions between the client and Hsp70, and facilitates dimerization of monomeric Hsp70. This dimerization is antiparallel, stabilized by post-translational modifications (PTMs), and maintained in the stable heterohexameric client-loading complex Hsp902Hsp702HopGR identified here. Addition of p23 to this client-loading complex induces transfer of GR onto Hsp90 and leads to expulsion of Hop and Hsp70. Based on these results, we propose that Hsp70 antiparallel dimerization, stabilized by PTMs, positions the client for transfer from Hsp70 to Hsp90.
Background: Cytokines are mediators of inflammation that contribute to a low-grade inflammation in different disorders like major depression and obesity. It still remains unclear which psychological and medical factors interact with cytokine regulation. In the current investigation, the association between levels of pro-and anti-inflammatory cytokines and anthropometrics, mood state (depressiveness), physical activity and sleep were investigated in a sample of community-dwelled adults.
Methods: Forty-nine subjects met the inclusion criteria for analyses and were assessed at two time-points (baseline (T1) and follow-up (T2), average T1-T2-interval = 215 days). Serum cytokine measures included the pro-inflammatory cytokines interleukin (IL)-2, IL-12, IFN-γ and TNF-α, the anti-inflammatory cytokines IL-4, IL-5, IL-10 and IL-13 and the granulocyte-macrophage colony-stimulating factor (GM-CSF); anthropometrics were assessed via physical examination, depressiveness was assessed via Beck Depression Inventory (BDI)2, parameters of physical activity (steps, METs) and sleep (night/total sleep duration) were measured via a 1-week actigraphy.
Results: Correlation analyses showed low-to moderate significant relationships between the majority of cytokines and the BDI2 at T1, positive correlation with weight and BMI at T1 and T2, and negative correlations with the number of steps and METs at T2 and T2. Regression analyses for T1 revealed that the BDI2 score was the best positive predictor for the concentrations of all nine cytokines, followed by the number of steps and the nightsleep duration as negative predictors. At T2, the amount of steps was found to be negatively associated with IL-4, IL5, IL-10, GM-CSF, IFN-γ, and TNF-α, whereas the BMI could significantly predict IL-12 and IL-13. The BDI2-score was not significantly associated with any of the cytokines. No associations could be found between dynamics in cytokines from T1 and T2 and changes in any of the variables.
Discussion: The present results indicate an influence of physical activity, subjective well-being and body composition on inflammatory mediators. Since there was no standardized intervention targeting the independent variables between T1 and T2, no assumptions on causality can be drawn from the association results.
Hintergrund: Der eigene Körper ist das zentrale Arbeitsinstrument eines*einer Tanzpädagog*in (TP) innerhalb der Bewegungsvermittlung. Bisher fehlen Erkenntnisse über die subjektive Wahrnehmung der eigenen berufsassoziierten Gesundheit und Zufriedenheit sowie die Identifizierung gesundheitsbelastender Berufsmerkmale.
Methodik: Im Rahmen einer fragebogenbasierten Querschnittserhebung wurde eine Kohorte von TP in Deutschland zur eigenen Gesundheit und generellen Berufszufriedenheit und belastenden Aspekten im Zusammenhang mit ihrer Berufsausübung untersucht. Zusätzlich wurden allgemeine anthropometrische und soziodemographische Merkmale erfasst. Neben der Betrachtung der Gesamtkohorte wurde auf geschlechtsspezifische Unterschiede getestet. In die statistische Analyse wurden n = 232 TP (m: 51/w: 181) im Alter von 43,1 ± 11,0 Jahren eingeschlossen.
Ergebnisse: Der allgemeine Gesundheitszustand wurde von 85,3 % der Befragten mit „befriedigend“ (26,1 %) bis „sehr gut“ (14,7 %) beurteilt. 59,2 % der Tanzpädagog*innen schätzten ihre Gesundheit „gut“ (35,3 %) bis „sehr gut“ ein. Es herrschte eine hohe Zufriedenheit mit der eigenen Berufsausübung für 80 % der Teilnehmenden. Die TP fühlten sich überwiegend in der Lage (trifft „voll & ganz“ bzw. „eher zu“), mit den physischen (75,7 %) und psychischen Berufsanforderungen (70,3 %) umzugehen. Als belastende Berufsmerkmale in der Eigenwahrnehmung können neben Zukunftsängsten (51,5 %) vor allem arbeitsorganisatorische (fehlende Zeit für Familie und Freunde bei 28,4 %) und ökonomische Aspekte (Einkommensunsicherheit bei 61,0 % und fehlende Altersabsicherung bei 65,7 %) herausgestellt werden.
Diskussion: Die Berufsausübung als TP geht mit einer hohen generellen Zufriedenheit und einem positiven Empfinden des eigenen Gesundheitszustandes einher. Eine Bestätigung dieser positiven Ergebnisse durch Verletzungs- und Erkrankungsstatistiken steht noch aus. Darüber hinaus wäre eine Verbesserung arbeitsorganisatorischer und ökonomischer Aspekte wünschenswert.
Quantification of circulating endothelial progenitor cells using the modified ISHAGE protocol
(2010)
Aims: Circulating endothelial progenitor cells (EPC), involved in endothelial regeneration, neovascularisation, and determination of prognosis in cardiovascular disease can be characterised with functional assays or using immunofluorescence and flow cytometry. Combinations of markers, including CD34+KDR+ or CD133+KDR+, are used. This approach, however may not consider all characteristics of EPC. The lack of a standardised protocol with regards to reagents and gating strategies may account for the widespread inter-laboratory variations in quantification of EPC. We, therefore developed a novel protocol adapted from the standardised so-called ISHAGE protocol for enumeration of haematopoietic stem cells to enable comparison of clinical and laboratory data. Methods and Results: In 25 control subjects, 65 patients with coronary artery disease (CAD; 40 stable CAD, 25 acute coronary syndrome/acute myocardial infarction (ACS)), EPC were quantified using the following approach: Whole blood was incubated with CD45, KDR, and CD34. The ISHAGE sequential strategy was used, and finally, CD45dimCD34+ cells were quantified for KDR. A minimum of 100 CD34+ events were collected. For comparison, CD45+CD34+ and CD45-CD34+ were analysed simultaneously. The number of CD45dimCD34+KDR+ cells only were significantly higher in healthy controls compared to patients with CAD or ACS (p = 0.005 each, p<0.001 for trend). An inverse correlation of CD45dimCD34+KDR+ with disease activity (r = -0.475, p<0.001) was confirmed. Only CD45dimCD34+KDR+ correlated inversely with the number of diseased coronaries (r = -0.344; p<0.005). In a second study, a 4-week de-novo treatment of atorvastatin in stable CAD evoked an increase only of CD45dimCD34+KDR+ EPC (p<0.05). CD45+CD34+KDR+ and CD45-CD34+KDR+ were indifferent between the three groups. Conclusion: Our newly established protocol adopted from the standardised ISHAGE protocol achieved higher accuracy in EPC enumeration confirming previous findings with respect to the correlation of EPC with disease activity and the increase of EPC during statin therapy. The data of this study show the CD45dim fraction to harbour EPC.
Early maternal care may counteract familial liability for psychopathology in the reward circuitry
(2018)
Reward processing is altered in various psychopathologies and has been shown to be susceptible to genetic and environmental influences. Here, we examined whether maternal care may buffer familial risk for psychiatric disorders in terms of reward processing. Functional magnetic resonance imaging during a monetary incentive delay task was acquired in participants of an epidemiological cohort study followed since birth (N = 172, 25 years). Early maternal stimulation was assessed during a standardized nursing/playing setting at the age of 3 months. Parental psychiatric disorders (familial risk) during childhood and the participants’ previous psychopathology were assessed by diagnostic interview. With high familial risk, higher maternal stimulation was related to increasing activation in the caudate head, the supplementary motor area, the cingulum and the middle frontal gyrus during reward anticipation, with the opposite pattern found in individuals with no familial risk. In contrast, higher maternal stimulation was associated with decreasing caudate head activity during reward delivery and reduced levels of attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) in the high-risk group. Decreased caudate head activity during reward anticipation and increased activity during delivery were linked to ADHD. These findings provide evidence of a long-term association of early maternal stimulation on both adult neurobiological systems of reward underlying externalizing behavior and ADHD during development.
Chemical ozone loss in winter 1991–1992 is recalculated based on observations of the HALOE satellite instrument, ER-2 aircraft measurements and balloon data. HALOE satellite observations are shown to be reliable in the lower stratosphere below 400 K, at altitudes where profiles are most likely disturbed by the enhanced sulfate aerosols, as a result of the Mt. Pinatubo eruption in June 1991. Very large chemical ozone loss was observed below 400 K from Kiruna balloon observations between December and March 1992. Additionally, for the two winters after the Mt. Pinatubo eruption, HALOE satellite observations show a stronger extent of chemical ozone loss at lower altitudes compared to other Arctic winter between 1991 and 2003. In stipe of already occurring deactivation of chlorine in March 1992, Mipas-B and LPMA balloon observations indicate still chlorine activation at lower altitudes, consistent with observed chemical ozone loss occurring between February and March and April. Enhanced chemical ozone loss in the Arctic winter 1991–1992 as calculated in earlier studies is corroborated here.
Chemical ozone loss in winter 1991–1992 is recalculated based on observations of the HALOE satellite instrument, Version 19, ER-2 aircraft measurements and balloon data. HALOE satellite observations are shown to be reliable in the lower stratosphere below 400 K, at altitudes where the measurements are most likely disturbed by the enhanced sulfate aerosol loading, as a result of the Mt.~Pinatubo eruption in June 1991. Significant chemical ozone loss (13–17 DU) is observed below 380 K from Kiruna balloon observations and HALOE satellite data between December 1991 and March 1992. For the two winters after the Mt. Pinatubo eruption, HALOE satellite observations show a stronger extent of chemical ozone loss towards lower altitudes compared to other Arctic winters between 1991 and 2003. In spite of already occurring deactivation of chlorine in March 1992, MIPAS-B and LPMA balloon observations indicate that chlorine was still activated at lower altitudes, consistent with observed chemical ozone loss occurring between February and March and April. Large chemical ozone loss of more than 70 DU in the Arctic winter 1991–1992 as calculated in earlier studies is corroborated here.
Background: The potential anti-cancer effects of mammalian target of rapamycin (mTOR) inhibitors are being intensively studied. To date, however, few randomised clinical trials (RCT) have been performed to demonstrate anti-neoplastic effects in the pure oncology setting, and at present, no oncology endpoint-directed RCT has been reported in the high-malignancy risk population of immunosuppressed transplant recipients. Interestingly, since mTOR inhibitors have both immunosuppressive and anti-cancer effects, they have the potential to simultaneously protect against immunologic graft loss and tumour development. Therefore, we designed a prospective RCT to determine if the mTOR inhibitor sirolimus can improve hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC)-free patient survival in liver transplant (LT) recipients with a pre-transplant diagnosis of HCC. Methods: The study is an open-labelled, randomised, RCT comparing sirolimus-containing versus mTOR-inhibitor-free immunosuppression in patients undergoing LT for HCC. Patients with a histologically confirmed HCC diagnosis are randomised into 2 groups within 4-6 weeks after LT; one arm is maintained on a centre-specific mTOR-inhibitor-free immunosuppressive protocol and the second arm is maintained on a centre-specific mTOR-inhibitor-free immunosuppressive protocol for the first 4-6 weeks, at which time sirolimus is initiated. A 3-year recruitment phase is planned with a 5-year follow-up, testing HCC-free survival as the primary endpoint. Our hypothesis is that sirolimus use in the second arm of the study will improve HCC-free survival. The study is a non-commercial investigator-initiated trial (IIT) sponsored by the University Hospital Regensburg and is endorsed by the European Liver and Intestine Transplant Association; 13 countries within Europe, Canada and Australia are participating. Discussion: If our hypothesis is correct that mTOR inhibition can reduce HCC tumour growth while simultaneously providing immunosuppression to protect the liver allograft from rejection, patients should experience less post-transplant problems with HCC recurrence, and therefore could expect a longer and better quality of life. A positive outcome will likely change the standard of posttransplant immunosuppressive care for LT patients with HCC. (trial registered at www.clinicaltrials.gov: NCT00355862) (EudraCT Number: 2005-005362-36)
Balloon-borne measurements of CFC-11 (on flights of the DIRAC in situ gas chromatograph and the DESCARTES grab sampler), ClO and O3 were made during the 1999/2000 winter as part of the SOLVE-THESEO 2000 campaign. Here we present the CFC-11 data from nine flights and compare them first with data from other instruments which flew during the campaign and then with the vertical distributions calculated by the SLIMCAT 3-D CTM. We calculate ozone loss inside the Arctic vortex between late January and early March using the relation between CFC-11 and O3 measured on the flights, the peak ozone loss (1200 ppbv) occurs in the 440–470 K region in early March in reasonable agreement with other published empirical estimates. There is also a good agreement between ozone losses derived from three independent balloon tracer data sets used here. The magnitude and vertical distribution of the loss derived from the measurements is in good agreement with the loss calculated from SLIMCAT over Kiruna for the same days.
The study of neutron-induced reactions is of high relevance in a wide variety of fields, ranging from stellar nucleosynthesis and fundamental nuclear physics to applications of nuclear technology. In nuclear energy, high accuracy neutron data are needed for the development of Generation IV fast reactors and accelerator driven systems, these last aimed specifically at nuclear waste incineration, as well as for research on innovative fuel cycles. In this context, a high luminosity Neutron Time Of Flight facility, n_TOF, is operating at CERN since more than a decade, with the aim of providing new, high accuracy and high resolution neutron cross-sections. Thanks to the features of the neutron beam, a rich experimental program relevant to nuclear technology has been carried out so far. The program will be further expanded in the near future, thanks in particular to a new high-flux experimental area, now under construction.
High precision measurement of the radiative capture cross section of 238U at the n_TOF CERN facility
(2017)
The importance of improving the accuracy on the capture cross-section of 238U has been addressed by the Nuclear Energy Agency, since its uncertainty significantly affects the uncertainties of key design parameters for both fast and thermal nuclear reactors. Within the 7th framework programme ANDES of the European Commission three different measurements have been carried out with the aim of providing the 238U(n,γ) cross-section with an accuracy which varies from 1 to 5%, depending on the energy range. Hereby the final results of the measurement performed at the n_TOF CERN facility in a wide energy range from 1 eV to 700 keV will be presented.
Neutron-induced fission cross sections of 238U and 235U are used as standards in the fast neutron region up to 200 MeV. A high accuracy of the standards is relevant to experimentally determine other neutron reaction cross sections. Therefore, the detection effciency should be corrected by using the angular distribution of the fission fragments (FFAD), which are barely known above 20 MeV. In addition, the angular distribution of the fragments produced in the fission of highly excited and deformed nuclei is an important observable to investigate the nuclear fission process.
In order to measure the FFAD of neutron-induced reactions, a fission detection setup based on parallel-plate avalanche counters (PPACs) has been developed and successfully used at the CERN-n_TOF facility. In this work, we present the preliminary results on the analysis of new 235U(n,f) and 238U(n,f) data in the extended energy range up to 200 MeV compared to the existing experimental data.
The n_TOF facility operates at CERN with the aim of addressing the request of high accuracy nuclear data for advanced nuclear energy systems as well as for nuclear astrophysics. Thanks to the features of the neutron beam, important results have been obtained on neutron induced fission and capture cross sections of U, Pu and minor actinides. Recently the construction of another beam line has started; the new line will be complementary to the first one, allowing to further extend the experimental program foreseen for next measurement campaigns.
The aim of this work is to provide a precise and accurate measurement of the 238U(n,γ) reaction cross section in the energy region from 1 eV to 700 keV. This reaction is of fundamental importance for the design calculations of nuclear reactors, governing the behavior of the reactor core. In particular, fast reactors, which are experiencing a growing interest for their ability to burn radioactive waste, operate in the high energy region of the neutron spectrum. In this energy region most recent evaluations disagree due to inconsistencies in the existing measurements of up to 15%. In addition, the assessment of nuclear data uncertainty performed for innovative reactor systems shows that the uncertainty in the radiative capture cross section of 238U should be further reduced to 1–3% in the energy region from 20 eV to 25 keV. To this purpose, addressed by the Nuclear Energy Agency as a priority nuclear data need, complementary experiments, one at the GELINA and two at the n_TOF facility, were proposed and carried out within the 7th Framework Project ANDES of the European Commission. The results of one of these 238U(n,γ) measurements performed at the n_TOF CERN facility are presented in this work. The γ-ray cascade following the radiative neutron capture has been detected exploiting a setup of two C6D6 liquid scintillators. Resonance parameters obtained from this work are on average in excellent agreement with the ones reported in evaluated libraries. In the unresolved resonance region, this work yields a cross section in agreement with evaluated libraries up to 80 keV, while for higher energies our results are significantly higher.
New results are presented of the 234U neutron-induced fission cross section, obtained with high accuracy in the resonance region by means of two methods using the 235U(n,f) as reference. The recent evaluation of the 235U(n,f) obtained with SAMMY by L. C. Leal et al. (these Proceedings), based on previous n_TOF data [1], has been used to calculate the 234U(n,f) cross section through the 234U/235U ratio, being here compared with the results obtained by using the n_TOF neutron flux.
The 236U isotope plays an important role in nuclear systems, both for future and currently operating ones. The actual knowledge of the capture reaction of this isotope is satisfactory in the thermal region, but it is considered insufficient for Fast Reactor and ADS applications. For this reason the 236U(n, γ) reaction cross-section has been measured for the first time in the whole energy region from thermal energy up to 1 MeV at the n_TOF facility with two different detection systems: an array of C6D6 detectors, employing the total energy deposited method, and a FX1 total absorption calorimeter (TAC), made of 40 BaF2 crystals. The two n_TOF data sets agree with each other within the statistical uncertainty in the Resolved Resonance Region up to 800 eV, while sizable differences (up to ≃ 20%) are found relative to the current evaluated data libraries. Moreover two new resonances have been found in the n_TOF data. In the Unresolved Resonance Region up to 200 keV, the n_TOF results show a reasonable agreement with previous measurements and evaluated data.
The radiative capture cross section of 238U is very important for the developing of new reactor technologies and the safety of existing ones. Here the preliminary results of the 238U(n,γ) cross section measurement performed at n_TOF with C6D6 scintillation detectors are presented, paying particular attention to data reduction and background subtraction.
The accurate knowledge of the neutron-induced fission cross-sections of actinides and other isotopes involved in the nuclear fuel cycle is essential for the design of advanced nuclear systems, such as Generation-IV nuclear reactors. Such experimental data can also provide the necessary feedback for the adjustment of nuclear model parameters used in the evaluation process, resulting in the further development of nuclear fission models. In the present work, the 240Pu(n,f) cross-section was measured at CERN's n_TOF facility relative to the well-known 235U(n,f) cross section, over a wide range of neutron energies, from meV to almost MeV, using the time-of-flight technique and a set-up based on Micromegas detectors. This measurement was the first experiment to be performed at n_TOF's new experimental area (EAR-2), which offers a significantly higher neutron flux compared to the already existing experimental area (EAR-1). Preliminary results as well as the experimental procedure, including a description of the facility and the data handling and analysis, are presented.
We have measured the radiative neutron-capture cross section and the total neutron-induced cross section of one of the most important isotopes for the s process, the 25Mg. The measurements have been carried out at the neutron time-of-flight facilities n_TOF at CERN (Switzerland) and GELINA installed at the EC-JRC-IRMM (Belgium). The cross sections as a function of neutron energy have been measured up to approximately 300 keV, covering the energy region of interest to the s process. The data analysis is ongoing and preliminary results show the potential relevance for the s process.
Above 1 MeV of incident neutron energy the fission fragment angular distribution (FFAD) has generally a strong anisotropic behavior due to the combination of the incident orbital momentum and the intrinsic spin of the fissioning nucleus. This effect has to be taken into account for the efficiency estimation of devices used for fission cross section measurements. In addition it bears information on the spin deposition mechanism and on the structure of transitional states. We designed and constructed a detection device, based on Parallel Plate Avalanche Counters (PPAC), for measuring the fission fragment angular distributions of several isotopes, in particular 232Th. The measurement has been performed at n_TOF at CERN taking advantage of the very broad energy spectrum of the neutron beam. Fission events were recognized by back to back detection in coincidence in two position-sensitive detectors surrounding the targets. The detection efficiency, depending mostly on the stopping of fission fragments in backings and electrodes, has been computed with a Geant4 simulation and validated by the comparison to the measured case of 235U below 3 keV where the emission is isotropic. In the case of 232Th, the result is in good agreement with previous data below 10 MeV, with a good reproduction of the structures associated to vibrational states and the opening of second chance fission. In the 14 MeV region our data are much more accurate than previous ones which are broadly scattered.
Activation of TRPC6 channels is essential for lung ischaemia–reperfusion induced oedema in mice
(2012)
Lung ischaemia–reperfusion-induced oedema (LIRE) is a life-threatening condition that causes pulmonary oedema induced by endothelial dysfunction. Here we show that lungs from mice lacking nicotinamide adenine dinucleotide phosphate (NADPH) oxidase (Nox2y/−) or the classical transient receptor potential channel 6 (TRPC6−/−) are protected from LIR-induced oedema (LIRE). Generation of chimeric mice by bone marrow cell transplantation and endothelial-specific Nox2 deletion showed that endothelial Nox2, but not leukocytic Nox2 or TRPC6, are responsible for LIRE. Lung endothelial cells from Nox2- or TRPC6-deficient mice showed attenuated ischaemia-induced Ca2+ influx, cellular shape changes and impaired barrier function. Production of reactive oxygen species was completely abolished in Nox2y/− cells. A novel mechanistic model comprising endothelial Nox2-derived production of superoxide, activation of phospholipase C-γ, inhibition of diacylglycerol (DAG) kinase, DAG-mediated activation of TRPC6 and ensuing LIRE is supported by pharmacological and molecular evidence. This mechanism highlights novel pharmacological targets for the treatment of LIRE.
Major histocompatibility complex class I (MHC I) molecules present antigenic peptides to cytotoxic T cells to eliminate infected or cancerous cells. The transporter associated with antigen processing (TAP) shuttles proteasomally generated peptides into the ER for MHC I loading. As central part of the peptide-loading complex (PLC), TAP is targeted by viral factors, which inhibit peptide supply and thereby impact MHC I-mediated immune responses. However, it is still poorly understood how antigen presentation via different MHC I allotypes is affected by TAP inhibition. Here, we show that conditional expression of herpes simplex viral ICP47 suppresses surface presentation of HLA-A and HLA-C, but not of HLA-B, while the human cytomegaloviral US6 reduces surface levels of all MHC I allotypes. This marked difference in HLA-B antigen presentation is echoed by an enrichment of HLA-B allomorphs at US6-arrested PLC in comparison to ICP47-PLC. Although both viral factors prevent TAP-mediated peptide supply, our data imply that MHC I allomorphs favor different conformationally arrested states of the PLC, leading to differential downregulation of MHC I surface presentation. These findings will help understand MHC I biology in general and will even advance the targeted treatment of infections depending on patients’ allotypes.
Die gegenwärtige Krise der Demokratie wird besonders sichtbar in der "symbolischen Dimension politischer Repräsentation". Diese Auffassung vertritt Paula Diehl in ihrem Aufsatz Demokratische Repräsentation und ihre Krise. "In Bildern, Inszenierungen und Diskursen werden sowohl demokratisierende als auch antidemokratische Konzepte 'getestet'. Erfahren sie Resonanz in der Öffentlichkeit und in der Bevölkerung, kann sich die Lage in die eine oder in die andere Richtung entwickeln. Denn Symbole aktivieren Vorstellungen über die politische Ordnung, Repräsentanten, Bürgerinnen und Bürger, über den Staat und auch darüber, wie politische Institutionen funktionieren sollen." So Paula Diehl im besagten Aufsatz, der Überlegungen bündelt, die sie in ihrer Studie Das Symbolische, das Imaginäre und die Demokratie. systematisch entfaltet hat. In dieser Arbeit analysiert Diehl den Zusammenhang zwischen den normativen Strukturen und der symbolischen Praxis eines demokratisch verfassten politischen Gemeinwesens. Beide bedingen sich gegenseitig. Die normative Struktur einer Gesellschaft findet den Grund ihrer Geltung und der Stabilität in der symbolischen Praxis; diese wiederum muss begriffen werden als Ausdruck der Prinzipien und Regeln der normativen Grundstruktur. Eine Krise des Politischen ist zu verstehen als Resultat und Ausdruck einer Störung in diesem wechselseitigen Bedingungsverhältnis von normativer Struktur und symbolischer Praxis der politischen Gemeinschaft. ...
Welchen Stellenwert hat der Glaube im Bereich der menschlichen Überzeugungen? Wie verhalten sich Wissen und Gewissheit zueinander? Die moderne Wissenschaft wird oft mit Faktenwissen gleichgesetzt, doch ohne die Reflexion über die Welt ist Wissenschaft nicht denkbar. Sie findet z.B. statt in der Religionsphilosophie.
The neutron sensitivity of the C6D6 detector setup used at n_TOF facility for capture measurements has been studied by means of detailed GEANT4 simulations. A realistic software replica of the entire n_TOF experimental hall, including the neutron beam line, sample, detector supports and the walls of the experimental area has been implemented in the simulations. The simulations have been analyzed in the same manner as experimental data, in particular by applying the Pulse Height Weighting Technique. The simulations have been validated against a measurement of the neutron background performed with a natC sample, showing an excellent agreement above 1 keV. At lower energies, an additional component in the measured natC yield has been discovered, which prevents the use of natC data for neutron background estimates at neutron energies below a few hundred eV. The origin and time structure of the neutron background have been derived from the simulations. Examples of the neutron background for two different samples are demonstrating the important role of accurate simulations of the neutron background in capture cross-section measurements.
The neutron capture cross section of 58Ni was measured at the neutron time of flight facility n_TOF at CERN, from 27 meV to 400 keV neutron energy. Special care has been taken to identify all the possible sources of background, with the so-called neutron background obtained for the first time using high-precision GEANT4 simulations. The energy range up to 122 keV was treated as the resolved resonance region, where 51 resonances were identified and analyzed by a multilevel R-matrix code SAMMY. Above 122 keV the code SESH was used in analyzing the unresolved resonance region of the capture yield. Maxwellian averaged cross sections were calculated in the temperature range of kT = 5 – 100 keV, and their astrophysical implications were investigated.
The physical housing environment is important to facilitate activities of daily living (ADL) for older people. A hindering environment may lead to ADL dependence and thus increase the need for home services, which is individually restricting and a growing societal burden. This study presents simulations of policy changes with regard to housing accessibility that estimates the potential impact specifically on instrumental activities of daily living (I-ADL), usage of home services, and related costs. The models integrate empirical data to test the hypothesis that a policy providing funding to remove the five most severe environmental barriers in the homes of older people who are at risk of developing dependence in I-ADL, can maintain independence and reduce the need for home services. In addition to official statistics from state agencies in Sweden and Germany, we utilized published results from the ENABLE-AGE and other scientific studies to generate the simulations. The simulations predicted that new policies that remove potentially hindering housing features would improve I-ADL performance among older people and reduce the need for home services. Our findings suggest that a policy change can contribute to positive effects with regard to I-ADL independence among older people and to a reduction of societal burden.
Introduction: We examined if a combination of proliferation markers and estrogen receptor (ER) activity could predict early versus late relapses in ER-positive breast cancer and inform the choice and length of adjuvant endocrine therapy.
Methods: Baseline affymetrix gene-expression profiles from ER-positive patients who received no systemic therapy (n = 559), adjuvant tamoxifen for 5 years (cohort-1: n = 683, cohort-2: n = 282) and from 58 patients treated with neoadjuvant letrozole for 3 months (gene-expression available at baseline, 14 and 90 days) were analyzed. A proliferation score based on the expression of mitotic kinases (MKS) and an ER-related score (ERS) adopted from Oncotype DX® were calculated. The same analysis was performed using the Genomic Grade Index as proliferation marker and the luminal gene score from the PAM50 classifier as measure of estrogen-related genes. Median values were used to define low and high marker groups and four combinations were created. Relapses were grouped into time cohorts of 0-2.5, 0-5, 5-10 years.
Results: In the overall 10 years period, the proportional hazards assumption was violated for several biomarker groups indicating time-dependent effects. In tamoxifen-treated patients Low-MKS/Low-ERS cancers had continuously increasing risk of relapse that was higher after 5 years than Low-MKS/High-ERS cancers [0 to 10 year, HR 3.36; p = 0.013]. High-MKS/High-ERS cancers had low risk of early relapse [0-2.5 years HR 0.13; p = 0.0006], but high risk of late relapse which was higher than in the High-MKS/Low-ERS group [after 5 years HR 3.86; p = 0.007]. The High-MKS/Low-ERS subset had most of the early relapses [0 to 2.5 years, HR 6.53; p < 0.0001] especially in node negative tumors and showed minimal response to neoadjuvant letrozole. These findings were qualitatively confirmed in a smaller independent cohort of tamoxifen-treated patients. Using different biomarkers provided similar results.
Conclusions: Early relapses are highest in highly proliferative/low-ERS cancers, in particular in node negative tumors. Relapses occurring after 5 years of adjuvant tamoxifen are highest among the highly-proliferative/high-ERS tumors although their risk of recurrence is modest in the first 5 years on tamoxifen. These tumors could be the best candidates for extended endocrine therapy.
Consequences of altered eicosanoid patterns for nociceptive processing in mPGES-1-deficient mice
(2007)
Cyclooxygenase-2 (COX-2)-dependent prostaglandin (PG) E2 synthesis in the spinal cord plays a major role in the development of inflammatory hyperalgesia and allodynia. Microsomal PGE2 synthase-1 (mPGES-1) isomerizes COX-2-derived PGH2 to PGE2. Here, we evaluated the effect of mPGES-1-deficiency on the noci-ceptive behavior in various models of nociception that depend on PGE2 synthesis. Surprisingly, in the COX-2-dependent zymosan-evoked hyperalgesia model, the nociceptive behavior was not reduced in mPGES-1-deficient mice despite a marked decrease of the spinal PGE2 synthesis. Similarly, the nociceptive behavior was unaltered in mPGES-1-deficient mice in the formalin test. Importantly, spinal cords and primary spinal cord cells derived from mPGES-1-deficient mice showed a redirection of the PGE2 synthesis to PGD2, PGF2α and 6-keto-PGF1α (stable metabolite of PGI2). Since the latter prostaglandins serve also as mediators of noci-ception they may compensate the loss of PGE2 synthesis in mPGES-1-deficient mice.
We measured the Coulomb dissociation of 16O into 4He and 12C at the R3B setup in a first campaign within FAIR Phase 0 at GSI Helmholtzzentrum für Schwerionenforschung, Darmstadt. The goal was to improve the accuracy of the experimental data for the 12C(α,γ)16O fusion reaction and to reach lower center-ofmass energies than measured so far.
The experiment required beam intensities of 109 16O ions per second at an energy of 500 MeV/nucleon. The rare case of Coulomb breakup into 12C and 4He posed another challenge: The magnetic rigidities of the particles are so close because of the same mass-to-charge-number ratio A/Z = 2 for 16O, 12C and 4He. Hence, radical changes of the R3B setup were necessary. All detectors had slits to allow the passage of the unreacted 16O ions, while 4He and 12C would hit the detectors' active areas depending on the scattering angle and their relative energies. We developed and built detectors based on organic scintillators to track and identify the reaction products with sufficient precision.
We measured the neutron capture cross sections of 69Ga and 71Ga for a quasi-stellar spectrum at kBT = 25 keV and a spectrum with a peak energy at 90 keV by the activation technique at the Joint Research Centre (JRC) in Geel, Belgium. Protons were provided by an electrostatic Van de Graaff accelerator to produce neutrons via the reaction 7Li(p,n). The produced activity was measured via the γ emission of the product nuclei by high-purity germanium detectors. We present preliminary results.
How long does it take to emit an electron from an atom? This question has intrigued scientists for decades. As such emission times are in the attosecond regime, the advent of attosecond metrology using ultrashort and intense lasers has re-triggered strong interest on the topic from an experimental standpoint. Here, we present an approach to measure such emission delays, which does not require attosecond light pulses, and works without the presence of superimposed infrared laser fields. We instead extract the emission delay from the interference pattern generated as the emitted photoelectron is diffracted by the parent ion’s potential. Targeting core electrons in CO, we measured a 2d map of photoelectron emission delays in the molecular frame over a wide range of electron energies. The emission times depend drastically on the photoelectrons’ emission directions in the molecular frame and exhibit characteristic changes along the shape resonance of the molecule.
Endothelial tip cells are essential for VEGF-induced angiogenesis, but underlying mechanisms are elusive. The Ena/VASP protein family, consisting of EVL, VASP, and Mena, plays a pivotal role in axon guidance. Given that axonal growth cones and endothelial tip cells share many common features, from the morphological to the molecular level, we investigated the role of Ena/VASP proteins in angiogenesis. EVL and VASP, but not Mena, are expressed in endothelial cells of the postnatal mouse retina. Global deletion of EVL (but not VASP) compromises the radial sprouting of the vascular plexus in mice. Similarly, endothelial-specific EVL deletion compromises the radial sprouting of the vascular plexus and reduces the endothelial tip cell density and filopodia formation. Gene sets involved in blood vessel development and angiogenesis are down-regulated in EVL-deficient P5-retinal endothelial cells. Consistently, EVL deletion impairs VEGF-induced endothelial cell proliferation and sprouting, and reduces the internalization and phosphorylation of VEGF receptor 2 and its downstream signaling via the MAPK/ERK pathway. Together, we show that endothelial EVL regulates sprouting angiogenesis via VEGF receptor-2 internalization and signaling.
Balloon-borne measurements of CFC11 (from the DIRAC in situ gas chromatograph and the DESCARTES grab sampler), ClO and O3 were made during the 1999/2000 Arctic winter as part of the SOLVE-THESEO 2000 campaign, based in Kiruna (Sweden). Here we present the CFC11 data from nine flights and compare them first with data from other instruments which flew during the campaign and then with the vertical distributions calculated by the SLIMCAT 3D CTM. We calculate ozone loss inside the Arctic vortex between late January and early March using the relation between CFC11 and O3 measured on the flights. The peak ozone loss (~1200ppbv) occurs in the 440-470K region in early March in reasonable agreement with other published empirical estimates. There is also a good agreement between ozone losses derived from three balloon tracer data sets used here. The magnitude and vertical distribution of the loss derived from the measurements is in good agreement with the loss calculated from SLIMCAT over Kiruna for the same days.
The gauge principle is fundamental in formulating the Standard Model. Fermion–gauge-boson couplings are the inescapable consequence and the primary determining factor for observable phenomena. Vertices describing such couplings are simple in perturbation theory and yet the existence of strong-interaction bound-states guarantees that many phenomena within the Model are nonperturbative. It is therefore crucial to understand how dynamics dresses the vertices and thereby fundamentally alters the appearance of fermion–gauge-boson interactions. We consider the coupling of a dressed-fermion to an Abelian gauge boson, and describe a unified treatment and solution of the familiar longitudinal Ward–Green–Takahashi identity and its less well known transverse counterparts. Novel consequences for the dressed-fermion–gauge-boson vertex are exposed.
The colour-singlet axial-vector vertex plays a pivotal role in understanding dynamical chiral symmetry breaking and numerous hadronic weak interactions, yet scant model-independent information is available. We therefore use longitudinal and transverse Ward–Green–Takahashi (WGT) identities, together with kinematic constraints, in order to ameliorate this situation and expose novel features of the axial vertex: amongst them, Ward-like identities for elements in the transverse piece of the vertex, which complement and shed new light on identities determined previously for components in its longitudinal part. Such algebraic results are verified via solutions of the Bethe–Salpeter equation for the axial vertex obtained using two materially different kernels for the relevant Dyson–Schwinger equations. The solutions also provide insights that suggest a practical Ansatz for the axial-vector vertex.
The accuracy on neutron capture cross section of fissile isotopes must be improved for the design of future nuclear systems such as Gen-IV reactors and Accelerator Driven Systems. The High Priority Request List of the Nuclear Energy Agency, which lists the most important nuclear data requirements, includes also the neutron capture cross sections of fissile isotopes such as 233,235U and 239,241Pu. A specific experimental setup has been used at the CERN n_TOF facility for the measurement of the neutron capture cross section of 235U by a set of micromegas fission detectors placed inside a segmented BaF2 Total Absorption Calorimeter.
Aims: Averaged measurements, but not the progression based on multiple assessments of carotid intima-media thickness, (cIMT) are predictive of cardiovascular disease (CVD) events in individuals. Whether this is true for conventional risk factors is unclear.
Methods and results: An individual participant meta-analysis was used to associate the annualised progression of systolic blood pressure, total cholesterol, low-density lipoprotein cholesterol and high-density lipoprotein cholesterol with future cardiovascular disease risk in 13 prospective cohort studies of the PROG-IMT collaboration (n = 34,072). Follow-up data included information on a combined cardiovascular disease endpoint of myocardial infarction, stroke, or vascular death. In secondary analyses, annualised progression was replaced with average. Log hazard ratios per standard deviation difference were pooled across studies by a random effects meta-analysis. In primary analysis, the annualised progression of total cholesterol was marginally related to a higher cardiovascular disease risk (hazard ratio (HR) 1.04, 95% confidence interval (CI) 1.00 to 1.07). The annualised progression of systolic blood pressure, low-density lipoprotein cholesterol and high-density lipoprotein cholesterol was not associated with future cardiovascular disease risk. In secondary analysis, average systolic blood pressure (HR 1.20 95% CI 1.11 to 1.29) and low-density lipoprotein cholesterol (HR 1.09, 95% CI 1.02 to 1.16) were related to a greater, while high-density lipoprotein cholesterol (HR 0.92, 95% CI 0.88 to 0.97) was related to a lower risk of future cardiovascular disease events.
Conclusion: Averaged measurements of systolic blood pressure, low-density lipoprotein cholesterol and high-density lipoprotein cholesterol displayed significant linear relationships with the risk of future cardiovascular disease events. However, there was no clear association between the annualised progression of these conventional risk factors in individuals with the risk of future clinical endpoints.
Calibration of TCCON column-averaged CO₂: the first aircraft campaign over European TCCON sites
(2011)
The Total Carbon Column Observing Network (TCCON) is a ground-based network of Fourier Transform Spectrometer (FTS) sites around the globe, where the column abundances of CO2, CH4, N2O, CO and O2 are measured. CO2 is constrained with a precision better than 0.25% (1-σ). To achieve a similarly high accuracy, calibration to World Meteorological Organization (WMO) standards is required. This paper introduces the first aircraft calibration campaign of five European TCCON sites and a mobile FTS instrument. A series of WMO standards in-situ profiles were obtained over European TCCON sites via aircraft and compared with retrievals of CO2 column amounts from the TCCON instruments. The results of the campaign show that the FTS measurements are consistently biased 1.1% ± 0.2% low with respect to WMO standards, in agreement with previous TCCON calibration campaigns. The standard a priori profile for the TCCON FTS retrievals is shown to not add a bias. The same calibration factor is generated using aircraft profiles as a priori and with the TCCON standard a priori. With a calibration to WMO standards, the highly precise TCCON CO2 measurements of total column concentrations provide a suitable database for the calibration and validation of nadir-viewing satellites
Calibration of TCCON column-averaged CO₂: the first aircraft campaign over European TCCON sites
(2011)
The Total Carbon Column Observing Network (TCCON) is a ground-based network of Fourier Transform Spectrometer (FTS) sites around the globe, where the column abundances of CO2, CH4, N2O, CO and O2 are measured. CO2 is constrained with a precision better than 0.25 %. To achieve a similarly high accuracy, calibration to World Meteorological Organization (WMO) standards is required. This paper introduces the first aircraft calibration campaign of five European TCCON sites and a mobile FTS instrument. A series of WMO standards in-situ profiles were obtained over European TCCON sites via aircraft and compared with retrievals of CO2 column amounts from the TCCON instruments. The results of the campaign show that the FTS measurements are consistently biased 1.0 % ± 0.2 % low with respect to WMO standards, in agreement with previous TCCON calibration campaigns. The standard a priori profile for the TCCON FTS retrievals is shown to not add a bias. The same calibration factor is generated using aircraft profiles as a priori and with the TCCON standard a priori. With a calibration to WMO standards, the highly precise TCCON CO2 measurements of total column concentrations provide a suitable database for the calibration and validation of nadir-viewing satellites.
Up to the present, there has been a lack of studies on the skin health of professional and recreational dancers. Dancers are at risk of skin diseases due to contact with allergenic or irritating substances and working in humid environments. The aim of the present study was, therefore, to examine skin health in two different dance styles and training periods. Methods: Physical dermatological examination of professional dancers (PD; n = 35) and Latin American formation dancers (LD; n = 79) after a 4-week period of recovery (T0) and a period of high training or work load (T1). Results: PD are significantly more frequently affected by skin dermatoses than LD (T0, p = 0.004) (frontal traction alopecia, hair loss, facial seborrhoea, xerosis cutis of the trunk and extremities, and facial folliculitis). The following significant differences between the sexes were observed in the LD: more folliculitis of the trunk in male subjects (T0 and T1, p = 0.009), more frequent xerosis cutis of the extremities (p < 0.001) and perioral dermatitis in female subjects (T1, p = 0.043). Subjects with skin lesions trained more frequently, performed more times per year, and had longer dance experience. Discussion: Based on the findings, preventive measures for skin protection (especially informing dancers about skin health) are necessary. At the same time, further studies on this topic are important.
Plants, fungi and algae are important components of global biodiversity and are fundamental to all ecosystems. They are the basis for human well-being, providing food, materials and medicines. Specimens of all three groups of organisms are accommodated in herbaria, where they are commonly referred to as botanical specimens.The large number of specimens in herbaria provides an ample, permanent and continuously improving knowledge base on these organisms and an indispensable source for the analysis of the distribution of species in space and time critical for current and future research relating to global biodiversity. In order to make full use of this resource, a research infrastructure has to be built that grants comprehensive and free access to the information in herbaria and botanical collections in general. This can be achieved through digitization of the botanical objects and associated data.The botanical research community can count on a long-standing tradition of collaboration among institutions and individuals. It agreed on data standards and standard services even before the advent of computerization and information networking, an example being the Index Herbariorum as a global registry of herbaria helping towards the unique identification of specimens cited in the literature.In the spirit of this collaborative history, 51 representatives from 30 institutions advocate to start the digitization of botanical collections with the overall wall-to-wall digitization of the flat objects stored in German herbaria. Germany has 70 herbaria holding almost 23 million specimens according to a national survey carried out in 2019. 87% of these specimens are not yet digitized. Experiences from other countries like France, the Netherlands, Finland, the US and Australia show that herbaria can be comprehensively and cost-efficiently digitized in a relatively short time due to established workflows and protocols for the high-throughput digitization of flat objects.Most of the herbaria are part of a university (34), fewer belong to municipal museums (10) or state museums (8), six herbaria belong to institutions also supported by federal funds such as Leibniz institutes, and four belong to non-governmental organizations. A common data infrastructure must therefore integrate different kinds of institutions.Making full use of the data gained by digitization requires the set-up of a digital infrastructure for storage, archiving, content indexing and networking as well as standardized access for the scientific use of digital objects. A standards-based portfolio of technical components has already been developed and successfully tested by the Biodiversity Informatics Community over the last two decades, comprising among others access protocols, collection databases, portals, tools for semantic enrichment and annotation, international networking, storage and archiving in accordance with international standards. This was achieved through the funding by national and international programs and initiatives, which also paved the road for the German contribution to the Global Biodiversity Information Facility (GBIF).Herbaria constitute a large part of the German botanical collections that also comprise living collections in botanical gardens and seed banks, DNA- and tissue samples, specimens preserved in fluids or on microscope slides and more. Once the herbaria are digitized, these resources can be integrated, adding to the value of the overall research infrastructure. The community has agreed on tasks that are shared between the herbaria, as the German GBIF model already successfully demonstrates.We have compiled nine scientific use cases of immediate societal relevance for an integrated infrastructure of botanical collections. They address accelerated biodiversity discovery and research, biomonitoring and conservation planning, biodiversity modelling, the generation of trait information, automated image recognition by artificial intelligence, automated pathogen detection, contextualization by interlinking objects, enabling provenance research, as well as education, outreach and citizen science.We propose to start this initiative now in order to valorize German botanical collections as a vital part of a worldwide biodiversity data pool.