478 research outputs found
The Effect of Tiotropium in Symptomatic Asthma Despite Low- to Medium-Dose Inhaled Corticosteroids: A Randomized Controlled Trial.
BackgroundTiotropium, a once-daily long-acting anticholinergic bronchodilator, has demonstrated efficacy in patients with asthma who were symptomatic despite treatment with medium- to high-dose inhaled corticosteroids (ICS).ObjectiveThe objective of this study was to evaluate the efficacy and safety of once-daily tiotropium Respimat (5 μg or 2.5 μg), compared with placebo Respimat, as add-on therapy to low- to medium-dose ICS for adults with symptomatic asthma.MethodsA phase III, double-blind, placebo-controlled trial was conducted (NCT01316380). Adults with symptomatic asthma receiving low- to medium-dose ICS (200-400 μg budesonide or equivalent dose) and a pre-bronchodilator forced expiratory volume in 1 second (FEV1) ≥60% and ≤90% of predicted normal were randomized to 12 weeks of treatment with once-daily tiotropium Respimat 5 μg or 2.5 μg, or placebo Respimat, as add-on therapy to ICS. The primary endpoint was peak FEV1(0-3h) response.ResultsIn total, 464 patients were randomized (61% female; mean age 43 years; mean baseline FEV1 78% of predicted normal). After 12 weeks, both tiotropium Respimat doses were superior to placebo (adjusted mean difference from placebo: 5 μg, 128 mL; 2.5 μg, 159 mL; both P < .001). Both doses of tiotropium Respimat were also superior to placebo with regard to the secondary endpoints of adjusted mean trough FEV1 and FEV1 area under the curve(0-3h) responses, and the other endpoints of morning and evening peak expiratory flow. Adverse events were comparable across the treatment groups.ConclusionsOnce-daily tiotropium Respimat add-on therapy to low- to medium-dose ICS in adults with symptomatic asthma is an efficacious bronchodilator, and its safety and tolerability are comparable with those of placebo Respimat
Large-angle production of charged pions by 3 GeV/c - 12.9 GeV/c protons on beryllium, aluminium and lead targets
Measurements of the double-differential production cross-section
in the range of momentum 100 \MeVc \leq p < 800 \MeVc and angle 0.35 \rad
\leq \theta < 2.15 \rad in proton--beryllium, proton--aluminium and
proton--lead collisions are presented. The data were taken with the HARP
detector in the T9 beam line of the CERN PS. The pions were produced by proton
beams in a momentum range from 3 \GeVc to 12.9 \GeVc hitting a target with a
thickness of 5% of a nuclear interaction length. The tracking and
identification of the produced particles was performed using a small-radius
cylindrical time projection chamber (TPC) placed inside a solenoidal magnet.
Incident particles were identified by an elaborate system of beam detectors.
Results are obtained for the double-differential cross-sections at six incident
proton beam momenta (3 \GeVc, 5 \GeVc, 8 \GeVc, 8.9 \GeVc (Be only), 12 \GeVc
and 12.9 \GeVc (Al only)) and compared to previously available data
Measurement of the production of charged pions by protons on a tantalum target
A measurement of the double-differential cross-section for the production of
charged pions in proton--tantalum collisions emitted at large angles from the
incoming beam direction is presented. The data were taken in 2002 with the HARP
detector in the T9 beam line of the CERN PS. The pions were produced by proton
beams in a momentum range from 3 \GeVc to 12 \GeVc hitting a tantalum target
with a thickness of 5% of a nuclear interaction length. The angular and
momentum range covered by the experiment (100 \MeVc \le p < 800 \MeVc and
0.35 \rad \le \theta <2.15 \rad) is of particular importance for the design
of a neutrino factory. The produced particles were detected using a
small-radius cylindrical time projection chamber (TPC) placed in a solenoidal
magnet. Track recognition, momentum determination and particle identification
were all performed based on the measurements made with the TPC. An elaborate
system of detectors in the beam line ensured the identification of the incident
particles. Results are shown for the double-differential cross-sections
at four incident
proton beam momenta (3 \GeVc, 5 \GeVc, 8 \GeVc and 12 \GeVc). In addition, the
pion yields within the acceptance of typical neutrino factory designs are shown
as a function of beam momentum. The measurement of these yields within a single
experiment eliminates most systematic errors in the comparison between rates at
different beam momenta and between positive and negative pion production.Comment: 49 pages, 31 figures. Version accepted for publication on Eur. Phys.
J.
Electric dipole moments of Hg, Xe, Rn, Ra, Pu, and TlF induced by the nuclear Schiff moment and limits on time-reversal violating interactions
We have calculated the atomic electric dipole moments (EDMs) induced in
^{199}Hg, ^{129}Xe, ^{223}Rn, ^{225}Ra, and ^{239}Pu by their respective
nuclear Schiff moments S. The results are (in units 10^{-17}S(e {fm}^{3})^{-1}e
cm): d(^{199}Hg)=-2.8, d(^{129}Xe)=0.38, d(^{223}Rn)=3.3, d(^{225}Ra)=-8.5,
d(^{239}Pu)=-11. We have also calculated corrections to the parity- and
time-invariance-violating (P,T-odd) spin-axis interaction constant in TlF.
These results are important for the interpretation of atomic and molecular
experiments on EDMs in terms of fundamental P,T-odd parameters.Comment: 16 page
Estimation of Dermal Exposure to Oil Spill Response and Clean-up Workers after the Deepwater Horizon Disaster
The GuLF STUDY is investigating health outcomes associated with oil spill-related chemical exposures among workers involved in the spill response and clean-up following the Deepwater Horizon disaster. Due to the lack of dermal exposure measurements, we estimated dermal exposures using a deterministic model, which we customized from a previously published model. Workers provided information on the frequency of contact with oil, tar, chemical dispersants applied to the oil spill and sea water, as well as the use of protective equipment, by job/activity/task. Professional judgment by industrial hygienists served as a source of information for other model variables. The model estimated dermal exposures to total hydrocarbons (THC), benzene, ethylbenzene, toluene, xylene, n-hexane (BTEX-H), polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs), and dispersants in GuLF DREAM units (GDUs). Arithmetic means (AMs) of THC exposure estimates across study participants ranged from 0.9) for most of the substances in oil but were lower for some of the substances in tar. These data were linked to the study participants to allow investigation of adverse health effects that may be related to dermal exposures
Measurement of the production cross-section of positive pions in the collision of 8.9 GeV/c protons on beryllium
The double-differential production cross-section of positive pions,
, measured in the HARP experiment is presented.
The incident particles are 8.9 GeV/c protons directed onto a beryllium target
with a nominal thickness of 5% of a nuclear interaction length. The measured
cross-section has a direct impact on the prediction of neutrino fluxes for the
MiniBooNE and SciBooNE experiments at Fermilab. After cuts, 13 million protons
on target produced about 96,000 reconstructed secondary tracks which were used
in this analysis. Cross-section results are presented in the kinematic range
0.75 GeV/c < < 6.5 GeV/c and 30 mrad < < 210 mrad in
the laboratory frame.Comment: 39 pages, 21 figures. Version accepted for publication by Eur. Phys.
J.
The , interaction in finite volume and the resonance
In this work the interaction of the coupled channels and
in an SU(4) extrapolation of the chiral unitary theory, where the
resonance appears as dynamically generated from that
interaction, is extended to produce results in finite volume. Energy levels in
the finite box are evaluated and, assuming that they would correspond to
lattice results, the inverse problem of determining the phase shifts in the
infinite volume from the lattice results is solved. We observe that it is
possible to obtain accurate phase shifts and the position of the
resonance, but it requires the explicit consideration of the
two coupled channels. We also observe that some of the energy levels in the box
are attached to the closed channel, such that their use to induce the phase shifts via L\"uscher's formula leads to incorrect results.Comment: 10 pages, 13 figures, accepted for publication in Eur. Phys. J.
Scalar mesons moving in a finite volume and the role of partial wave mixing
Phase shifts and resonance parameters can be obtained from finite-volume
lattice spectra for interacting pairs of particles, moving with nonzero total
momentum. We present a simple derivation of the method that is subsequently
applied to obtain the pi pi and pi K phase shifts in the sectors with total
isospin I=0 and I=1/2, respectively. Considering different total momenta, one
obtains extra data points for a given volume that allow for a very efficient
extraction of the resonance parameters in the infinite-volume limit.
Corrections due to the mixing of partial waves are provided. We expect that our
results will help to optimize the strategies in lattice simulations, which aim
at an accurate determination of the scattering and resonance properties.Comment: 19 pages, 12 figure
Mapping the Two-Component Atomic Fermi Gas to the Nuclear Shell-Model
The physics of a two-component cold fermi gas is now frequently addressed in
laboratories. Usually this is done for large samples of tens to hundreds of
thousands of particles. However, it is now possible to produce few-body systems
(1-100 particles) in very tight traps where the shell structure of the external
potential becomes important. A system of two-species fermionic cold atoms with
an attractive zero-range interaction is analogous to a simple model of nucleus
in which neutrons and protons interact only through a residual pairing
interaction. In this article, we discuss how the problem of a two-component
atomic fermi gas in a tight external trap can be mapped to the nuclear shell
model so that readily available many-body techniques in nuclear physics, such
as the Shell Model Monte Carlo (SMMC) method, can be directly applied to the
study of these systems. We demonstrate an application of the SMMC method by
estimating the pairing correlations in a small two-component Fermi system with
moderate-to-strong short-range two-body interactions in a three-dimensional
harmonic external trapping potential.Comment: 13 pages, 3 figures. Final versio
Predicting haemodynamic networks using electrophysiology: The role of non-linear and cross-frequency interactions
Understanding the electrophysiological basis of resting state networks (RSNs) in the human brain is a critical step towards elucidating how inter-areal connectivity supports healthy brain function. In recent years, the relationship between RSNs (typically measured using haemodynamic signals) and electrophysiology has been explored using functional Magnetic Resonance Imaging (fMRI) and magnetoencephalography (MEG). Significant progress has been made, with similar spatial structure observable in both modalities. However, there is a pressing need to understand this relationship beyond simple visual similarity of RSN patterns. Here, we introduce a mathematical model to predict fMRI-based RSNs using MEG. Our unique model, based upon a multivariate Taylor series, incorporates both phase and amplitude based MEG connectivity metrics, as well as linear and non-linear interactions within and between neural oscillations measured in multiple frequency bands. We show that including non-linear interactions, multiple frequency bands and cross-frequency terms significantly improves fMRI network prediction. This shows that fMRI connectivity is not only the result of direct electrophysiological connections, but is also driven by the overlap of connectivity profiles between separate regions. Our results indicate that a complete understanding of the electrophysiological basis of RSNs goes beyond simple frequency-specific analysis, and further exploration of non-linear and cross-frequency interactions will shed new light on distributed network connectivity, and its perturbation in pathology
- …