679 research outputs found
Pluripolarity of Graphs of Denjoy Quasianalytic Functions of Several Variables
In this paper we prove pluripolarity of graphs of Denjoy quasianalytic
functions of several variables on the spanning se
UK Breastfeeding Helpline support: An investigation of influences upon satisfaction
Background
Incentive or reward schemes are becoming increasingly popular to motivate healthy lifestyle behaviours. In this paper, insights from a qualitative and descriptive study to investigate the uptake, impact and meanings of a breastfeeding incentive intervention integrated into an existing peer support programme (Star Buddies) are reported. The Star Buddies service employs breastfeeding peer supporters to support women across the ante-natal, intra-partum and post-partum period.
Methods
In a disadvantaged area of North West England, women initiating breastfeeding were recruited by peer supporters on the postnatal ward or soon after hospital discharge to participate in an 8 week incentive (gifts and vouchers) and breastfeeding peer supporter intervention. In-depth interviews were conducted with 26 women participants who engaged with the incentive intervention, and a focus group was held with the 4 community peer supporters who delivered the intervention. Descriptive analysis of routinely collected data for peer supporter contacts and breastfeeding outcomes before and after the incentive intervention triangulated and retrospectively provided the context for the qualitative thematic analysis.
Results
A global theme emerged of 'incentives as connectors', with two sub-themes of 'facilitating connections' and 'facilitating relationships and wellbeing'. The incentives were linked to discussion themes and gift giving facilitated peer supporter access for proactive weekly home visits to support women. Regular face to face contacts enabled meaningful relationships and new connections within and between the women, families, peer supporters and care providers to be formed and sustained. Participants in the incentive scheme received more home visits and total contact time with peer supporters compared to women before the incentive intervention. Full participation levels and breastfeeding rates at 6-8 weeks were similar for women before and after the incentive intervention.
Conclusion
The findings suggest that whilst the provision of incentives might not influence women's intentions or motivations to breastfeed, the connections forged provided psycho-social benefits for both programme users and peer supporters
Drug-associated changes in amino acid residues in Gag p2, p7NC, and p6Gag/p6Pol in human immunodeficiency virus type 1 (HIV-1) display a dominant effect on replicative fitness and drug response
AbstractRegions of HIV-1 gag between p2 and p6Gag/p6Pol, in addition to protease (PR), develop genetic diversity in HIV-1 infected individuals who fail to suppress virus replication by combination protease inhibitor (PI) therapy. To elucidate functional consequences for viral replication and PI susceptibility by changes in Gag that evolve in vivo during PI therapy, a panel of recombinant viruses was constructed. Residues in Gag p2/p7NC cleavage site and p7NC, combined with residues in the flap of PR, defined novel fitness determinants that restored replicative capacity to the posttherapy virus. Multiple determinants in Gag have a dominant effect on PR phenotype and increase susceptibility to inhibitors of drug-resistant or drug-sensitive PR genes. Gag determinants of drug sensitivity and replication alter the fitness landscape of the virus, and viral replicative capacity can be independent of drug sensitivity. The functional linkage between Gag and PR provides targets for novel therapeutics to inhibit drug-resistant viruses
Eigen-transitions in cantilever cylindrical shells subjected to vertical edge loads
A thin cantilever cylindrical shell subjected to a transverse shear force at the free end can experience two distinct modes of buckling, depending on its relative thickness and length. If the former parameter is fixed then a short cylinder buckles in a diffuse manner, while the eigenmodal deformation of a moderately long shell is localised, both axially and circumferentially, near its fixed end. Donnelltype buckling equations for cylindrical shells are here coupled with a non-symmetric membrane basic state to produce a linear boundary-value problem that is shown to capture the transition between the aforementioned instability modes. The main interest lies in exploring the approximate asymptotic separation of the independent variables in the corresponding stability equations, when the eigen-deformation is doubly localised. Comparisons with direct numerical simulations of the full buckling problem provide further insight into the accuracy and limitations of our approximations
Cross Section Measurements of Charged Pion Photoproduction in Hydrogen and Deuterium from 1.1 to 5.5 GeV
The differential cross section for the gamma +n --> pi- + p and the gamma + p
--> pi+ n processes were measured at Jefferson Lab. The photon energies ranged
from 1.1 to 5.5 GeV, corresponding to center-of-mass energies from 1.7 to 3.4
GeV. The pion center-of-mass angles varied from 50 degree to 110 degree. The
pi- and pi+ photoproduction data both exhibit a global scaling behavior at high
energies and high transverse momenta, consistent with the constituent counting
rule prediction and the existing pi+ data. The data suggest possible
substructure of the scaling behavior, which might be oscillations around the
scaling value. The data show an enhancement in the scaled cross section at
center-of-mass energy near 2.2 GeV. The differential cross section ratios at
high energies and high transverse momenta can be described by calculations
based on one-hard-gluon-exchange diagrams.Comment: 18 pages, 19 figure
Cross Section Measurement of Charged Pion Photoproduction from Hydrogen and Deuterium
We have measured the differential cross section for the gamma n --> pi- p and
gamma p --> pi+ n reactions at center of mass angle of 90 degree in the photon
energy range from 1.1 to 5.5 GeV at Jefferson Lab (JLab). The data at photon
energies greater than 3.3 GeV exhibit a global scaling behavior for both pi-
and pi+ photoproduction, consistent with the constituent counting rule and the
existing pi+ photoproduction data. Possible oscillations around the scaling
value are suggested by these new data The data show enhancement in the scaled
cross section at a center-of-mass energy near 2.2 GeV. The cross section ratio
of exclusive pi- to pi+ photoproduction at high energy is consistent with the
prediction based on one-hard-gluon-exchange diagrams
Probing the high momentum component of the deuteron at high Q^2
The d(e,e'p) cross section at a momentum transfer of 3.5 (GeV/c)^2 was
measured over a kinematical range that made it possible to study this reaction
for a set of fixed missing momenta as a function of the neutron recoil angle
theta_nq and to extract missing momentum distributions for fixed values of
theta_nq up to 0.55 GeV/c. In the region of 35 (deg) <= theta_nq <= 45 (deg)
recent calculations, which predict that final state interactions are small,
agree reasonably well with the experimental data. Therefore these experimental
reduced cross sections provide direct access to the high momentum component of
the deuteron momentum distribution in exclusive deuteron
electro-disintegration.Comment: 5 pages, 2 figure
Probing Quark-Gluon Interactions with Transverse Polarized Scattering
We have extracted QCD matrix elements from our data on double polarized
inelastic scattering of electrons on nuclei. We find the higher twist matrix
element \tilde{d_2}, which arises strictly from quark- gluon interactions, to
be unambiguously non zero. The data also reveal an isospin dependence of higher
twist effects if we assume that the Burkhardt-Cottingham Sum rule is valid. The
fundamental Bjorken sum rule obtained from the a0 matrix element is satisfied
at our low momentum transfer.Comment: formerly "Nachtmann Moments of the Proton and Deuteron Spin Structure
Functions
Proton Spin Structure in the Resonance Region
We have examined the spin structure of the proton in the region of the
nucleon resonances (1.085 GeV < W < 1.910 GeV) at an average four momentum
transfer of Q^2 = 1.3 GeV^2. Using the Jefferson Lab polarized electron beam, a
spectrometer, and a polarized solid target, we measured the asymmetries
A_parallel and A_perp to high precision, and extracted the asymmetries A_1 and
A_2, and the spin structure functions g_1 and g_2. We found a notably non-zero
A_perp, significant contributions from higher-twist effects, and only weak
support for polarized quark--hadron duality.Comment: 6 pages, 4 figures, REVTeX4, similar to PRL submission, plots
colorized and appenix added, v3: minor edit, matches PR
Measurement of the Electric Form Factor of the Neutron at Q^2=0.5 and 1.0 (GeV/c)^2
The electric form factor of the neutron was determined from measurements of
the \vec{d}(\vec{e},e' n)p reaction for quasielastic kinematics. Polarized
electrons were scattered off a polarized deuterated ammonia target in which the
deuteron polarization was perpendicular to the momentum transfer. The scattered
electrons were detected in a magnetic spectrometer in coincidence with neutrons
in a large solid angle detector. We find G_E^n = 0.0526 +/- 0.0033 (stat) +/-
0.0026 (sys) and 0.0454 +/- 0.0054 +/- 0.0037 at Q^2 = 0.5 and 1.0 (GeV/c)^2,
respectively.Comment: 5 pages, 2 figures, as publishe
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