221 research outputs found
Volcanic air pollution and human health: recent advances and future directions
Volcanic air pollution from both explosive and effusive activity can affect large populations as far as thousands of kilometers away from the source, for days to decades or even centuries. Here, we summarize key advances and prospects in the assessment of health hazards, effects, risk, and management. Recent advances include standardized ash assessment methods to characterize the multiple physicochemical characteristics that might influence toxicity; the rise of community-based air quality monitoring networks using low-cost gas and particulate sensors; the development of forecasting methods for ground-level concentrations and associated public advisories; the development of risk and impact assessment methods to explore health consequences of future eruptions; and the development of evidence-based, locally specific measures for health protection. However, it remains problematic that the health effects of many major and sometimes long-duration eruptions near large populations have gone completely unmonitored. Similarly, effects of prolonged degassing on exposed populations have received very little attention relative to explosive eruptions. Furthermore, very few studies have longitudinally followed populations chronically exposed to volcanic emissions; thus, knowledge gaps remain about whether chronic exposures can trigger development of potentially fatal diseases. Instigating such studies will be facilitated by continued co-development of standardized protocols, supporting local study teams and procuring equipment, funding, and ethical permissions. Relationship building between visiting researchers and host country academic, observatory, and agency partners is vital and can, in turn, support the effective communication of health impacts of volcanic air pollution to populations, health practitioners, and emergency managers
Transferrin saturation ratio and risk of total and cardiovascular mortality in the general population.
peer-reviewedThe transferrin saturation (TSAT) ratio is a commonly used indicator of iron deficiency and iron overload in clinical practice but precise relationships with total and cardiovascular mortality are unclear.Purpose: To better understand this relationship, we explored the association of TSAT ratio (serum iron/total iron binding capacity) with mortality in the general population.PUBLISHEDpeer-reviewe
Monitoring Chemical Pollution in Europe’s Seas: Programmes, practices and priorities for research
This report has been produced by the Marine Board Working Group on Existing and Emerging Chemical Pollutants (WGPOL) first convened in 2008 and tasked to examine the assessment and monitoring of existing and emerging chemicals in the European marine and coastal environment. The Working Group considered (i) existing monitoring/assessment frameworks; (ii) current monitoring practices; and (iii) new and emerging chemicals of concern and the mechanisms used to include them in current monitoring programmes. The primary conclusions and recommendations of this position paper are:
1. Fully implement state of the art environmental risk assessment procedures (combining exposure and effect assessment) to evaluate the full impact of chemical substances on the different compartments of coastal and open sea systems.
2. Further improve the coordination, cooperation and harmonization between existing monitoring efforts and those under development, to avoid duplication of effort, loss of expertise and a reduced willingness to fulfil the obligations towards regional conventions.
3. Ensure that the development and implementation of monitoring programmes for the assessment of chemicals in marine and coastal environment are based on a science-based and dynamic process.
4. Apply more resources targeted at developing appropriate approaches, tools and practices (education and training) to improve the acquisition and management of monitoring data.
In addition to the above main recommendations, two further recommendations have been identified on the basis of two specific case studies which form part of this paper and which focus on the release, effects and monitoring of (i) hydrophobic and insoluble chemicals in the marine environment from merchant shipping; and (ii) chemicals released by the offshore oil-industry in the North Sea. These case studies highlighted the need to:
5. Develop a consistent, pan-European or regional (legal) framework/regulation which covers the activities of the oil and gas industry at sea. At the same time, more information and research is needed on the release and the effects of chemicals arising from offshore oil and gas activities.
6. Develop and apply state-of-the-art environmental risk assessment procedures (combining exposure and effect assessments, including on human health) to evaluate the impact of noxious liquid substances listed under MARPOL Annex II on the different compartments in coastal and open sea ecosystems
Janus kinase inhibitors are potential therapeutics for amyotrophic lateral sclerosis
Amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS) is a poorly treated multifactorial neurodegenerative disease associated with multiple cell types and subcellular organelles. As with other multifactorial diseases, it is likely that drugs will need to target multiple disease processes and cell types to be effective. We review here the role of Janus kinase (JAK)/Signal transducer and activator of transcription (STAT) signalling in ALS, confirm the association of this signalling with fundamental ALS disease processes using the BenevolentAI Knowledge Graph, and demonstrate that inhibitors of this pathway could reduce the ALS pathophysiology in neurons, glia, muscle fibres, and blood cells. Specifically, we suggest that inhibition of the JAK enzymes by approved inhibitors known as Jakinibs could reduce STAT3 activation and modify the progress of this disease. Analysis of the Jakinibs highlights baricitinib as a suitable candidate due to its ability to penetrate the central nervous system and exert beneficial effects on the immune system. Therefore, we recommend that this drug be tested in appropriately designed clinical trials for ALS
Anti-Search for the Glueball Candidate f_J(2220) in Two-Photon Interactions
Using 13.3 fb^{-1} of e^+e^- data recorded with the CLEO II and CLEO II.V
detector configurations at CESR, we have searched for f_J(2220) decays to
K^0_{S} K^0_{S} in untagged two-photon interactions. We report an upper limit
on the product of the two-photon partial width and the branching fraction,
Gamma_gamma gamma cdot B (f_J(2220) to K^0_{S} K^0_{S}) of less than 1.1 eV at
the 95% C.L: systematic uncertainties are included. This dataset is four times
larger than that used in the previous CLEO publication.Comment: 10 pages postscript, also available through
http://w4.lns.cornell.edu/public/CLNS, Submitted to PRD (R
Observation of a Narrow Resonance of Mass 2.46 GeV/c^2 Decaying to D_s^*+ pi^0 and Confirmation of the D_sJ^* (2317) State
Using 13.5 inverse fb of e+e- annihilation data collected with the CLEO II
detector we have observed a narrow resonance in the Ds*+pi0 final state, with a
mass near 2.46 GeV. The search for such a state was motivated by the recent
discovery by the BaBar Collaboration of a narrow state at 2.32 GeV, the
DsJ*(2317)+ that decays to Ds+pi0. Reconstructing the Ds+pi0 and Ds*+pi0 final
states in CLEO data, we observe peaks in both of the corresponding
reconstructed mass difference distributions, dM(Dspi0)=M(Dspi0)-M(Ds) and
dM(Ds*pi0)=M(Ds*pi0)-M(Ds*), both of them at values near 350 MeV. We interpret
these peaks as signatures of two distinct states, the DsJ*(2317)+ plus a new
state, designated as the DsJ(2463)+. Because of the similar dM values, each of
these states represents a source of background for the other if photons are
lost, ignored or added. A quantitative accounting of these reflections confirms
that both states exist. We have measured the mean mass differences
= 350.0 +/- 1.2 [stat] +/- 1.0 [syst] MeV for the DsJ*(2317) state, and
= 351.2 +/- 1.7 [stat] +/- 1.0 [syst] MeV for the new DsJ(2463)+
state. We have also searched, but find no evidence, for decays of the two
states via the channels Ds*+gamma, Ds+gamma, and Ds+pi+pi-. The observations of
the two states at 2.32 and 2.46 GeV, in the Ds+pi0 and Ds*+pi0 decay channels
respectively, are consistent with their interpretations as (c anti-strange)
mesons with orbital angular momentum L=1, and spin-parities of 0+ and 1+.Comment: 16 pages postscript, also available through
http://w4.lns.cornell.edu/public/CLNS, version to be published in Physical
Review D; minor modifications and fixes to typographical errors, plus an
added section on production properties. The main results are unchanged; they
supersede those reported in hep-ex/030501
Ultra-High Energy Cosmic Ray Probes of Large Scale Structure and Magnetic Fields
We study signatures of a structured universe in the multi-pole moments,
auto-correlation function, and cluster statistics of ultra-high energy cosmic
rays above 10^19 eV. We compare scenarios where the sources are distributed
homogeneously or according to the baryon density distribution obtained from a
cosmological large scale structure simulation. The influence of extragalactic
magnetic fields is studied by comparing the case of negligible fields with
fields expected to be produced along large scale shocks with a maximal strength
consistent with observations. We confirm that strongly magnetized observers
would predict considerable anisotropy on large scales, which is already in
conflict with current data. In the best fit scenario only the sources are
strongly magnetized, although deflection can still be considerable, of order 20
degrees up to 10^20 eV, and a pronounced GZK cutoff is predicted. We then
discuss signatures for future large scale full-sky detectors such as the Pierre
Auger and EUSO projects. Auto-correlations are sensitive to the source density
only if magnetic fields do not significantly affect propagation. In contrast,
for a weakly magnetized observer, degree scale auto-correlations below a
certain level indicate magnetized discrete sources. It may be difficult even
for next generation experiments to distinguish between structured and
unstructured source distributions.Comment: 17 revtex pages, 29 ps figures, published version with minor changes,
see http://link.aps.org/abstract/PRD/v70/e04300
Measurement of the Charge Asymmetry in
We report on a search for a CP-violating asymmetry in the charmless hadronic
decay B -> K*(892)+- pi-+, using 9.12 fb^-1 of integrated luminosity produced
at \sqrt{s}=10.58 GeV and collected with the CLEO detector. We find A_{CP}(B ->
K*(892)+- pi-+) = 0.26+0.33-0.34(stat.)+0.10-0.08(syst.), giving an allowed
interval of [-0.31,0.78] at the 90% confidence level.Comment: 7 pages postscript, also available through
http://w4.lns.cornell.edu/public/CLNS, submitted to PR
Study of the q^2-Dependence of B --> pi ell nu and B --> rho(omega)ell nu Decay and Extraction of |V_ub|
We report on determinations of |Vub| resulting from studies of the branching
fraction and q^2 distributions in exclusive semileptonic B decays that proceed
via the b->u transition. Our data set consists of the 9.7x10^6 BBbar meson
pairs collected at the Y(4S) resonance with the CLEO II detector. We measure
B(B0 -> pi- l+ nu) = (1.33 +- 0.18 +- 0.11 +- 0.01 +- 0.07)x10^{-4} and B(B0 ->
rho- l+ nu) = (2.17 +- 0.34 +0.47/-0.54 +- 0.41 +- 0.01)x10^{-4}, where the
errors are statistical, experimental systematic, systematic due to residual
form-factor uncertainties in the signal, and systematic due to residual
form-factor uncertainties in the cross-feed modes, respectively. We also find
B(B+ -> eta l+ nu) = (0.84 +- 0.31 +- 0.16 +- 0.09)x10^{-4}, consistent with
what is expected from the B -> pi l nu mode and quark model symmetries. We
extract |Vub| using Light-Cone Sum Rules (LCSR) for 0<= q^2<16 GeV^2 and
Lattice QCD (LQCD) for 16 GeV^2 <= q^2 < q^2_max. Combining both intervals
yields |Vub| = (3.24 +- 0.22 +- 0.13 +0.55/-0.39 +- 0.09)x10^{-3}$ for pi l nu,
and |Vub| = (3.00 +- 0.21 +0.29/-0.35 +0.49/-0.38 +-0.28)x10^{-3} for rho l nu,
where the errors are statistical, experimental systematic, theoretical, and
signal form-factor shape, respectively. Our combined value from both decay
modes is |Vub| = (3.17 +- 0.17 +0.16/-0.17 +0.53/-0.39 +-0.03)x10^{-3}.Comment: 45 pages postscript, also available through
http://w4.lns.cornell.edu/public/CLNS, submitted to PR
Search for CP Violation in D^0--> K_S^0 pi^+pi^-
We report on a search for CP violation in the decay of D0 and D0B to Kshort
pi+pi-. The data come from an integrated luminosity of 9.0 1/fb of e+e-
collisions at sqrt(s) ~ 10 GeV recorded with the CLEO II.V detector. The
resonance substructure of this decay is well described by ten quasi-two-body
decay channels (K*-pi+, K*0(1430)-pi+, K*2(1430)-pi+, K*(1680)-pi+, Kshort rho,
Kshort omega, Kshort f0(980), Kshort f2(1270), Kshort f0(1370), and the ``wrong
sign'' K*+ pi-) plus a small non-resonant component. We observe no evidence for
CP violation in the amplitudes and phases that describe the decay D0 to K_S^0
pi+pi-.Comment: 10 pages, 3 figures, also available at
http://w4.lns.cornell.edu/public/CLNS/, submitted to PR
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