974 research outputs found
Heavy flavor in heavy-ion collisions at RHIC and RHIC II
In the initial years of operation, experiments at the Relativistic Heavy Ion
Collider (RHIC) have identified a new form of matter formed in nuclei-nuclei
collisions at energy densities more than 100 times that of a cold atomic
nucleus. Measurements and comparison with relativistic hydrodynamic models
indicate that the matter thermalizes in an unexpectedly short time, has an
energy density at least 15 times larger than needed for color deconfinement,
has a temperature about twice the critical temperature predicted by lattice
QCD, and appears to exhibit collective motion with ideal hydrodynamic
properties - a "perfect liquid" that appears to flow with a near-zero viscosity
to entropy ratio - lower than any previously observed fluid and perhaps close
to a universal lower bound. However, a fundamental understanding of the medium
seen in heavy-ion collisions at RHIC does not yet exist. The most important
scientific challenge for the field in the next decade is the quantitative
exploration of the new state of nuclear matter. That will require new data that
will, in turn, require enhanced capabilities of the RHIC detectors and
accelerator. In this report we discuss the scientific opportunities for an
upgraded RHIC facility - RHIC II - in conjunction with improved capabilities of
the two large RHIC detectors, PHENIX and STAR. We focus solely on heavy flavor
probes. Their production rates are calculable using the well-established
techniques of perturbative QCD and their sizable interactions with the hot QCD
medium provide unique and sensitive measurements of its crucial properties
making them one of the key diagnostic tools available to us.Comment: 96 pages, 53 figures. Accepted for publication in Physics Reports.
Fixed typo in Fig. 15 captio
Managing orthodontic appliances in everyday life: A qualitative study of young people’s experiences with removable functional appliances, fixed appliances and retainers
Objective:
To compare young people’s experiences of wearing a range of orthodontic appliances.
Design:
A cross-sectional, qualitative study with purposive sampling.
Setting:
UK dental teaching hospital.
Participants:
Twenty-six orthodontic patients aged 11–17 years.
Methods:
Patients participated in in-depth semi-structured interviews. All interviews were transcribed verbatim and analysed thematically.
Results:
Young people reported physical, practical and emotional impacts from their appliances. Despite these reported impacts, participants described ‘getting used’ to and, therefore, not being bothered by their appliance. Framework analysis of the data identified a multi-dimensional social process of managing everyday life with an appliance. This involves addressing the ‘dys-appearance’ of the body through physically adapting to an appliance. This process also includes psychological approaches, drawing on social networks, developing strategies and situating experiences in a longer-term context. Engaging in this process allowed young people to address the physical, practical and emotional impacts of their appliances.
Conclusion:
This qualitative research has identified how young people manage everyday life with an appliance. Understanding this process will help orthodontists to support their patients
Gender dysphoria: an overview for orthodontists
Among non-gender conforming populations, there is a subgroup of individuals who experience significant distress associated with their gender incongruity, commonly referred to as gender dysphoria (GD). In the UK, there is a recognised pathway for individuals experiencing GD. This has traditionally been initiated by a referral to the Gender Identity Development Service (GIDS) for children and adolescents or to a Gender Identity Clinic (GIC) for adults. This pathway can potentially involve several specialties and treatment modalities, including the prescription of various hormones. It is important for orthodontists to have an understanding of this field, as well as the potential treatment modalities, so that they can support this often marginalised patient group. Inherent differences between male and female facial features may also lead patients with GD to present to orthodontists, wishing to change their facial appearance. This article highlights the current national pathway for GD and the orthodontic considerations for these individuals
Periodontal status of palatally displaced canines - The impact of surgical technique
This article examines the available published evidence that addresses the research question ‘is a closed or an open surgical exposure for an unerupted palatally-positioned/displaced canine (PDC) better for the long-term periodontal health of the canine and surrounding teeth?’ Flaws in the current evidence are discussed and a way forward is suggested
What is the healthcare utilisation and out-of-pocket expenditure associated with osteoarthritis? A cross-sectional study.
OBJECTIVE: To examine the use and out-of-pocket expenses resulting from consultations, products and practices across conventional, self-care, and complementary medicine (CM) treatments for osteoarthritis (OA) among Australian women. DESIGN, SETTING AND PARTICIPANTS: A cross-sectional survey of 800 women from the 45 and Up Study who had reported a clinical diagnosis of OA. OUTCOME MEASURES: Women's use of conventional, CM and self-prescribed treatments for OA and the associated out-of-pocket cost. RESULTS: Completed questionnaires were returned by 403 women (50.4%). Their average time since the first diagnosis of OA was 15.4 years, and self-rated severity of OA was 5.1 (out of 10) over the past 12 months. During the previous year, 67.0% of the women consulted a doctor, 39.2% consulted an allied health practitioner and 34.7% consulted a CM practitioner for their OA. Some women (19%) consulted with practitioner(s) from all three practitioner groups, 27% consulted with practitioner(s) from two of the three practitioner groups, while 6% consulted with a CM practitioner only. Women with a greater time since diagnosis had more consultations, as did women who rated their OA as more severe. Women's average combined out-of-pocket expenditure for OA-related healthcare consultations, prescription medications, products, and practices was 873 million per annum. CONCLUSIONS: Australian women with OA use a range of conventional and CM consultations, self-care, products and practices to manage their condition, incurring significant out-of-pocket expenses. Given the high individual and societal burden of OA, there is a need for further research into the concurrent use of different healthcare resources with a view to providing safe, cost-effective management of OA across the healthcare system and the wider community
An International Urogynecological Association (IUGA)/International Continence Society (ICS) joint report on the terminology for the conservative and nonpharmacological management of female pelvic floor dysfunction
There has been an increasing need for the terminology on the conservative management of female pelvic floor dysfunction to be collated in a clinically based consensus report.This Report combines the input of members and elected nominees of the Standardization and Terminology Committees of two International Organizations, the International Urogynecological Association (IUGA) and the International Continence Society (ICS), assisted at intervals by many external referees. An extensive process of nine rounds of internal and external review was developed to exhaustively examine each definition, with decision-making by collective opinion (consensus). Before opening up for comments on the webpages of ICS and IUGA, five experts from physiotherapy, neurology, urology, urogynecology, and nursing were invited to comment on the paper.A Terminology Report on the conservative management of female pelvic floor dysfunction, encompassing over 200 separate definitions, has been developed. It is clinically based, with the most common symptoms, signs, assessments, diagnoses, and treatments defined. Clarity and ease of use have been key aims to make it interpretable by practitioners and trainees in all the different specialty groups involved in female pelvic floor dysfunction. Ongoing review is not only anticipated, but will be required to keep the document updated and as widely acceptable as possible.A consensus-based terminology report for the conservative management of female pelvic floor dysfunction has been produced, aimed at being a significant aid to clinical practice and a stimulus for research
Utility of tris(4-bromopyridyl) europium complexes as versatile intermediates in the divergent synthesis of emissive chiral probes
The synthetic utility of europium complexes with three coordinated 4-bromopyridyl groups for chromophore elaboration has been assessed in palladium-catalysed Sonogashira coupling reactions, and in copper(I) mediated click reactions of the triazide derivative, generated in situ. The crystal structure of the Eu complex of a p-OMe-phenyl substituted triazole at 100 K is reported in which the pendant triazole sensitising moieties interdigitate in the solid-state lattice. The triazole complex can be separated into Δ and Λ enantiomers by chiral HPLC but is weakly emissive in methanol (ε 5.5 mM−1 cm−1; λexc 320 nm; ϕ 0.2%), contrasting with a set of four alkynyl–aryl derivatives which are one thousand times brighter and absorb strongly with broad absorption maxima in the range 332 to 360 nm. An enantiopure europium complex gives an intense CPL signal in solution that is the strongest yet reported
Quarkonia Measurements with STAR
We report results on quarkonium production from the STAR experiment at the
Relativistic Heavy-Ion Collider (RHIC). J/psi spectra in p+p and Cu+Cu
collisions at sqrt(s) = 200 GeV with transverse momenta in the range of 0.5-14
GeV/c and 5-8 GeV/c, respectively, are presented. We find that for p_T > 5
GeV/c yields in p+p collisions are consistent with those in minimum-bias Cu+Cu
collisions scaled with the respective number of binary nucleon-nucleon
collisions. In this range the nuclear modification factor, R_AA, is measured to
be 0.9+-0.2(stat). For the first time at RHIC, high-p_T J/psi-hadron
correlations were studied in p+p collisions. Implications from our measurements
on J/psi production mechanisms, constraints on open bottom yields, and J/psi
dissociation mechanisms at high-p_T are discussed. In addition, we give a brief
status of measurements of Upsilon production in p+p and Au+Au collisions and
present projections of future quarkonia measurements based on an upgrades to
the STAR detector and increased luminosity achieved through stochastic cooling
of RHIC.Comment: 5 pages, 5 figures. Prepared for 3rd International Conference on Hard
and Electromagnetic Probes of High-Energy Nuclear Collisions (Hard Probes
2008), A Toxa, Spain, June 8-14, 200
Phylogeny of the Australian Solanum dioicum group using seven nuclear genes: Testing Symon’s fruit and seed dispersal hypotheses.
The dioecious and andromonoecious Solanum taxa (the “S. dioicum group”) of the Australian Monsoon Tropics have been the subject of phylogenetic and taxonomic study for decades, yet much of their basic biology is still unknown. This is especially true for plant-animal interactions, including the influence of fruit form and calyx morphology on seed dispersal. We combine field/greenhouse observations and specimen-based study with phylogenetic analysis of seven nuclear regions obtained via a microfluidic PCR-based enrichment strategy and high-throughput sequencing, and present the first species-tree hypothesis for the S. dioicum group. Our results suggest that epizoochorous trample burr seed dispersal (strongly linked to calyx accrescence) is far more common among Australian Solanum than previously thought and support the hypothesis that the combination of large fleshy fruits and endozoochorous dispersal represents a reversal in this study group. The general lack of direct evidence related to biotic dispersal (epizoochorous or endozoochorous) may be a function of declines and/or extinctions of vertebrate dispersers. Because of this, some taxa might now rely on secondary dispersal mechanisms (e.g. shakers, tumbleweeds, rafting) as a means to maintain current populations and establish new ones
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