Can probiotics safely prevent recurrent vaginitis?

Using vaginal suppositories or eating yogurt with Lactobacillus may reduce recurrences of bacterial vaginosis (BV) (strength of recommendation [SOR]: B, randomized controlled trials [RCTs] with conflicting results). Neither suppositories nor yogurt containing Lactobacillus are likely to prevent recurrences of vulvovaginal candidiasis (VVC) (SOR: B, RCTs with conflicting results). Probiotic suppositories and yogurt don't appear to have significant adverse effects (SOR: A, RCTs)

My favorite unreliable source? Information sharing and acquisition through informal networks

Informal information networks are the personal connections of friends, family and colleagues that people use to help them find information. Recently, a great deal of attention has been paid to social network sites, and other social media, as a key source of information and misinformation in contemporary society. This panel will probe deeper, to investigate the personal connections that underpin and lie behind the social connections visible on social network sites. This issue is of increasing importance as more of our everyday lives are moved online. We will debate what we actually know, and do not know, about how people find information through others, both on‐ and off‐line. From the panel we hope to create a network of scholars interested in creating a research agenda to make informal networks a focus of study going forward.Peer Reviewedhttp://deepblue.lib.umich.edu/bitstream/2027.42/163474/2/pra2294.pdfhttp://deepblue.lib.umich.edu/bitstream/2027.42/163474/1/pra2294_am.pd

McCarthy : "the trial of unreason by humane voices"

McCarthy is a dramatic, vocal-orchestral symphony; as such, staging becomes an important element. Essentially the format is as follows: In general, the nature of the production may be just as imaginative as the performers wish to make it. Care to preserve a poise and dignity in the chorus and orchestra, however, is essential, particularly after McCarthy has departed. The orchestra and chorus perform the entire work on stage. The effect is somewhat chamber-like, due to the size of the group and the music itself. Singers are positioned within the body of the orchestra itself for better acoustical balance. Medía suggestions to enhance performance are: costuming of the chorus, in the spirit of “Humanists” of movement #2; and, in each movement, slide backgrounds appropriate to the libretto, such as “green, rich vistas, rivers, wheat,” etc

Muscle preservation in long duration space missions: The eccentric factor

In our quest to understand, and eventually prevent, the loss of muscle strength and mass that occurs during prolonged periods in microgravity, we have organized our research approach by systems and useful terrestrial analogs. Our hypothesis was that: The eccentric movement, or lengthening component, of dynamic, resistive exercise, is required for the production of the greatest gains in strength and muscle hypertrophy in the most metabolically efficient, and time effective manner. The exercises selected were leg presses, leg (knee) extensions, and hamstring curls. In this 30 week study, 38 male subjects, between the ages of 25 and 50, were divided into four groups. One group performed 5 sets of 8-12 repetitions per set of conventional concentric/eccentric (CON/ECC) exercises. Another group performed only the concentric (CON) movement on the same schedule. The third group performed twice the number of sets in the concentric only mode (CON/CON), and the last group served as controls. We interpret these data as convincing evidence that the eccentric component of heavy resistance training is required along with the concentric for the most effective increase in strength and muscle fiber size in the least time. We also conclude that such heavy exercise of any such muscle group need not consume inordinately long periods of time, and is quite satisfactorily effective when performed on 72 hour centers

Elevated Circulating Angiogenic Progenitors and White Blood Cells Are Associated with Hypoxia-Inducible Angiogenic Growth Factors in Children with Sickle Cell Disease

We studied the number and function of angiogenic progenitor cells and growth factors in children aged 5–18 years without acute illness, 43 with Hemoglobin SS and 68 with normal hemoglobin. Hemoglobin SS subjects had at least twice as many mononuclear cell colonies and more circulating progenitor cell than Control subjects. Plasma concentrations of erythropoietin, angiopoietin-2, and stromal-derived growth factor (SDF)-1α were significantly higher in children with Hemoglobin SS compared to Control subjects. In a multivariate analysis model, SDF-1α concentration was found to be associated with both CPC number and total white blood cell count in the Hemoglobin SS group, suggesting that SDF-1α produced by ischemic tissues plays a role in mobilizing these cells in children with Hemoglobin SS. Despite having a higher number of angiogenic progenitor cells, children with Hemoglobin SS had slower migration of cultured mononuclear cells

QCD Event Generators

This report is a survey on QCD Event Generator issues of relevance for LEP 2. It contains four main sections: a summary of experience from LEP 1, extrapolations to LEP 2 energies, Monte Carlo descriptions and standardization issues.Comment: 84 pages, LaTeX2e, eps figures included in file using filecontents environments, gzipped, uuencoded, to appear in the proceedings of the LEP 2 Worksho

The Long-Baseline Neutrino Experiment: Exploring Fundamental Symmetries of the Universe

The preponderance of matter over antimatter in the early Universe, the dynamics of the supernova bursts that produced the heavy elements necessary for life and whether protons eventually decay --- these mysteries at the forefront of particle physics and astrophysics are key to understanding the early evolution of our Universe, its current state and its eventual fate. The Long-Baseline Neutrino Experiment (LBNE) represents an extensively developed plan for a world-class experiment dedicated to addressing these questions. LBNE is conceived around three central components: (1) a new, high-intensity neutrino source generated from a megawatt-class proton accelerator at Fermi National Accelerator Laboratory, (2) a near neutrino detector just downstream of the source, and (3) a massive liquid argon time-projection chamber deployed as a far detector deep underground at the Sanford Underground Research Facility. This facility, located at the site of the former Homestake Mine in Lead, South Dakota, is approximately 1,300 km from the neutrino source at Fermilab -- a distance (baseline) that delivers optimal sensitivity to neutrino charge-parity symmetry violation and mass ordering effects. This ambitious yet cost-effective design incorporates scalability and flexibility and can accommodate a variety of upgrades and contributions. With its exceptional combination of experimental configuration, technical capabilities, and potential for transformative discoveries, LBNE promises to be a vital facility for the field of particle physics worldwide, providing physicists from around the globe with opportunities to collaborate in a twenty to thirty year program of exciting science. In this document we provide a comprehensive overview of LBNE's scientific objectives, its place in the landscape of neutrino physics worldwide, the technologies it will incorporate and the capabilities it will possess.Comment: Major update of previous version. This is the reference document for LBNE science program and current status. Chapters 1, 3, and 9 provide a comprehensive overview of LBNE's scientific objectives, its place in the landscape of neutrino physics worldwide, the technologies it will incorporate and the capabilities it will possess. 288 pages, 116 figure

Evidence for the η_b(1S) Meson in Radiative Υ(2S) Decay

We have performed a search for the η_b(1S) meson in the radiative decay of the Υ(2S) resonance using a sample of 91.6 × 10^6 Υ(2S) events recorded with the BABAR detector at the PEP-II B factory at the SLAC National Accelerator Laboratory. We observe a peak in the photon energy spectrum at E_γ = 609.3^(+4.6)_(-4.5)(stat)±1.9(syst) MeV, corresponding to an η_b(1S) mass of 9394.2^(+4.8)_(-4.9)(stat) ± 2.0(syst) MeV/c^2. The branching fraction for the decay Υ(2S) → γη_b(1S) is determined to be [3.9 ± 1.1(stat)^(+1.1)_(-0.9)(syst)] × 10^(-4). We find the ratio of branching fractions B[Υ(2S) → γη_b(1S)]/B[Υ(3S) → γη_b(1S)]= 0.82 ± 0.24(stat)^(+0.20)_(-0.19)(syst)

Measurement of the Branching Fraction for B- --> D0 K*-

We present a measurement of the branching fraction for the decay B- --> D0 K*- using a sample of approximately 86 million BBbar pairs collected by the BaBar detector from e+e- collisions near the Y(4S) resonance. The D0 is detected through its decays to K- pi+, K- pi+ pi0 and K- pi+ pi- pi+, and the K*- through its decay to K0S pi-. We measure the branching fraction to be B.F.(B- --> D0 K*-)= (6.3 +/- 0.7(stat.) +/- 0.5(syst.)) x 10^{-4}.Comment: 7 pages, 1 postscript figure, submitted to Phys. Rev. D (Rapid Communications