Tau longitudinal polarization in B -> D tau nu and its role in the search for charged Higgs boson

We study the longitudinal polarization of the tau lepton in B -> D tau nu decay. After discussing possible sensitivities of tau decay modes to the tau polarization, we examine the effect of charged Higgs boson on the tau polarization in B -> D tau nu. We find a relation between the decay rate and the tau polarization, and clarify the role of the tau polarization measurement in the search for the charged Higgs boson.Comment: 17 pages, 3 figures. Tau -> l nu nu is included in Sec. II. Accordingly the title is changed. References are adde

Measurement of the Tau Polarisation at LEP I

The polarisation of $\tau$'s produced in Z decay is measured using 160 pb$^{-1}$ of data accumulated at LEP by the ALEPH detector between 1990 and 1995. The variation of the polarisation with polar angle yields the two parameters ${\cal A}_e = 0.1504 \pm 0.0068$ and ${\cal A}_{\tau} = 0.1451 \pm 0.0059$ which are consistent with the hypothesis of $e$-$\tau$ universality. Assuming universality, the value {\cal A}_{e\mbox{-}\tau} = 0.1474 \pm 0.0045 is obtained from which the effective weak mixing angle $\sin^2 {\theta_{\mathrm{W}}^{\mathrm{eff}}} =0.23147 \pm 0.00057$ is derived

La recherche juridique sur les prélèvements biologiques réalisés dans le cadre des autopsies et objets de scellés judiciaires. Nécessité d'une adaptation législative

Currently, it is legally impossible to conduct scientific research on tissue and organ samples taken from forensic autopsies. In fact, the law schedules the destruction of such samples at the end of the judicial investigation, and the common law rules governing cadaver research cannot be applied to the forensic context. However, nothing seems in itself to stand in the way of such research since, despite their specific nature, these samples from forensic autopsies could be subject, following legislative amendments, to common law relating to medical research on samples taken from deceased persons. But an essential legislative amendment will have the goal firstly to allow the Biomedicine Agency to become authorized to issue a research permit and secondly, to change the research conditions in terms of the non-opposition of the deceased to the said research. Such an amendment would be a true breakthrough because it would allow teams to continue to move forward calmly in research, and allow this research to be placed within a legal framework, which would promote international exchanges

Mannose-Specific Lectins from Marine Algae: Diverse Structural Scaffolds Associated to Common Virucidal and Anti-Cancer Properties.

To date, a number of mannose-specific lectins have been isolated and characterized from seaweeds, especially from red algae. In fact, man-specific seaweed lectins consist of different structural scaffolds harboring a single or a few carbohydrate-binding sites which specifically recognize mannose-containing glycans. Depending on the structural scaffold, man-specific seaweed lectins belong to five distinct structurally-related lectin families, namely (1) the griffithsin lectin family (beta-prism I scaffold); (2) the Oscillatoria agardhii agglutinin homolog (OAAH) lectin family (beta-barrel scaffold); (3) the legume lectin-like lectin family (beta-sandwich scaffold); (4) the Galanthus nivalis agglutinin (GNA)-like lectin family (beta-prism II scaffold); and, (5) the MFP2-like lectin family (MFP2-like scaffold). Another algal lectin from Ulva pertusa, has been inferred to the methanol dehydrogenase related lectin family, because it displays a rather different GlcNAc-specificity. In spite of these structural discrepancies, all members from the five lectin families share a common ability to specifically recognize man-containing glycans and, especially, high-mannose type glycans. Because of their mannose-binding specificity, these lectins have been used as valuable tools for deciphering and characterizing the complex mannose-containing glycans from the glycocalyx covering both normal and transformed cells, and as diagnostic tools and therapeutic drugs that specifically recognize the altered high-mannose N-glycans occurring at the surface of various cancer cells. In addition to these anti-cancer properties, man-specific seaweed lectins have been widely used as potent human immunodeficiency virus (HIV-1)-inactivating proteins, due to their capacity to specifically interact with the envelope glycoprotein gp120 and prevent the virion infectivity of HIV-1 towards the host CD4+ T-lymphocyte cells in vitro

SMOS-NEXT: A New Concept for Soil Moisture Retrieval from Passive Interferometric Observations

This book is a collection of 19 articles which reflect the courses given at the Collège de France/Summer school “Reconstruction d'images − Applications astrophysiques“ held in Nice and Fréjus, France, from June 18 to 22, 2012. The articles presented in this volume address emerging concepts and methods that are useful in the complex process of improving our knowledge of the celestial objects, including Earth

Estimation of skeletal age at death in adults using the acetabulum and the auricular surface – An application on the Terry Collection

Rougé-Maillart et al. proposed a technique to determine the age of a subject using the acetabular surface and the auricular surface of the coxal bone. This technique has been described as promising, particularly in subjects under 50 years of age. The initial aim of this study was to test the technique on a new population with two observers, one of whom had no prior experience of the technique. A second aim was to confirm the utility of using the technique on elderly subjects. Material and method We worked on 210 bones (108 male and 102 female) from the Terry Collection. Two observers studied the bones (one was a beginner, one an advanced user of the technique). Age estimation of the skeletons was based on analysis of the auricular surface and the acetabulum as described in the method by Rougé-Maillart et al. Intra- and inter-observer correlations were performed to monitor the reliability and reproducibility of this technique in the overall population, before moving on to subjects aged over 50. Results For both observers, the data highlighted a good average correlation between score and real age (overall scores of 0.648 and 0.773) in the overall population. The similarity between the observers’ results increases as total scores are used. However, the inter-observer correlation is lower than for the previous study, as some criteria are more difficult to classify for the novice observer. As regards subjects over 50, the results are less reliable than expected, with a higher inter-observer variation than in the overall population. Conclusion This study confirms the reproducibility and effectiveness of the method. However, some criteria must be redefined, while others must be weighed. Likewise, a modification to the Bayesian approach with a change to the intervals should be considered

Sudden death due to black esophagus: a case report

Black esophagus, also known as acute esophageal necrosis syndrome, is a rare but often fatal pathology. It can be identified during autopsy examination and should be diagnosed by the forensic examiner via simple macroscopic examination. We report the case of an elderly man who was found dead, presenting with this pathology. A microscopic examination was carried out that confirmed the diagnosis. We consider that all forensic examiners should be made aware of this pathology to make the diagnosis quickly, in turn allowing the deceased to be returned promptly to their loved ones

Qu’en est-il de la personne de confiance sept ans après sa mise en place ? Enquête sur deux établissements hospitaliers du Maine et Loire

The survey carried out among 41 nursing assistants spread over two hospital establishments in the Maine et Loire region, France, set about describing the perception of the trustworthy person seven years after its creation. Data relating to ways in which information is given to patients and the methods used to ascertain the identity of the trustworthy person highlight the practical difficulties in applying the texts, which are sometimes inaccurate, by nursing assistants. Although some concepts are well integrated by teams, this mission of assigning a trustworthy person by the patient each time hospitalisation takes place is seen as an additional administrative burden, whose usefulness is seldom appreciated

Identifying key water resource vulnerabilities in data‐scarce transboundary river basins

This paper presents a two‐step framework to identify key water resource vulnerabilities in transboundary river basins where data availability on both hydrological fluxes and the operation of man‐made facilities is either limited or nonexistent. In a first step, it combines two state‐of‐the‐art modeling tools to overcome data limitations and build a model that provides a lower bound on risks estimated in that basin. Land data assimilation (process‐based hydrological modeling taking remote‐sensed products as inputs) is needed to evaluate hydrological fluxes, that is, streamflow data and consumptive use in irrigated agriculture—a lower‐end estimate of demand. Hydroeconomic modeling provides cooperative water allocation policies that reflect the best‐case management of storage capacity under hydrological uncertainty at a monthly time step for competing uses—hydropower, irrigation. In a second step, the framework uses additional scenarios to proceed with the in‐depth analysis of the vulnerabilities identified despite the use of what is by definition a best‐case model. We implement this approach to the Tigris‐Euphrates river basin, a politically unstable region where water scarcity has been hypothesized to serve as a trigger for the Syrian revolution and ensuing war. Results suggest that even under the framework's best‐case assumptions, the Euphrates part of the basin is close to a threshold where it becomes reliant on transfers of saline water from other parts of the basin to ensure irrigation demands are met. This Tigris‐Euphrates river basin application demonstrates how the proposed framework quantifies vulnerabilities that have been hitherto discussed in a mostly qualitative, speculative way