Managing Access to Biobanks:How Can We Reconcile Privacy and Public Interests in Genetic Research?

This article is concerned with the ultimate objectives of genetic biobanks set up to promote the public interest—being the sharing of samples and data for medical research—and the consequences for personal privacy of realising them. Our aim is to chart the values, interests and principles in play, to consider the challenges of realizing biobanking objectives on a global scale, and to propose viable ways forward that ensure, as far as possible, that access provisions remain fit for purpose throughout the entire life of a biobank, while adequately protecting the privacy interests at stake. It is argued that key features in any robust access model must include mechanisms to (a) maintain participant trust in management of the resource and to measure and respond to participants’ expectations, (b) facilitate and promote the sharing of benefits, and (c) respond timeously and effectively to new challenges

Orbital M1 versus E2 strength in deformed nuclei: A new energy weighted sum rule

Within the unified model of Bohr and Mottelson we derive the following linear energy weighted sum rule for low energy orbital 1$^+$ excitations in even-even deformed nuclei S_{\rm LE}^{\rm lew} (M_1^{\rm orb}) \cong (6/5) \epsilon (B(E2; 0^+_1 \rightarrow 2_1^+ K=0)/Z e^2^2) \mu^2_N with B(E2) the E2 strength for the transition from the ground state to the first excited state in the ground state rotational band, $$ the charge r.m.s. radius squared and $\epsilon$ the binding energy per nucleon in the nuclear ground state. It is shown that this energy weighted sum rule is in good agreement with available experimental data. The sum rule is derived using a simple ansatz for the intrinsic ground state wave function that predicts also high energy 1$^+$ strength at 2$\hbar \omega$ carrying 50\% of the total $m_1$ moment of the orbital M1 operator.Comment: REVTEX (3.0), 9 pages, RU924

Two-phonon 1- state in 112Sn observed in resonant photon scattering

Results of a photon scattering experiment on 112Sn using bremsstrahlung with an endpoint energy of E_0 = 3.8 MeV are reported. A J = 1 state at E_x = 3434(1) keV has been excited. Its decay width into the ground state amounts to Gamma_0 = 151(17) meV, making it a candidate for a [2+ x 3-]1- two-phonon state. The results for 112Sn are compared with quasiparticle-phonon model calculations as well as the systematics of the lowest-lying 1- states established in other even-mass tin isotopes. Contrary to findings in the heavier stable even-mass Sn isotopes, no 2+ states between 2 and 3.5 MeV excitation energy have been detected in the present experiment.Comment: 10 pages, including 2 figures, Phys. Rev. C, in pres

Pygmy Dipol Resonances as a Manifestation of the Structure of the Neutron-Rich Nuclei

Dipole excitations in neutron-rich nuclei below the neutron threshold are investigated. The method is based on Hartree-Fock-Bogoliubov (HFB) and Quasiparticle-Phonon Model (QPM) theory. Of our special interest are the properties of the low-lying 1- Pygmy Resonance and the two-phonon quadrupole-octupole 1- states in Sn-isotopes including exploratory investigations for the experimentally unknown mass regions. In particular we investigate the evolution of the dipole strength function with the neutron excess. The use of HFB mean-field potentials and s.p. energies is found to provide a reliable extrapolation into the region off stability.Comment: 8 pages, 3 figures, Proceedings of the International Conference on Collective Motion in Nuclei Under Extreme Conditions (COMEX1), Paris, France, 10-13 June 200

Particle number size distributions in urban air before and after volatilisation

Aerosol particle number size distributions (size range 0.003–10 μm) in the urban atmosphere of Augsburg (Germany) were examined with respect to the governing anthropogenic sources and meteorological factors. The two-year average particle number concentration between November 2004 and November 2006 was 12 200 cm−3, i.e. similar to previous observations in other European cities. A seasonal analysis yielded twice the total particle number concentrations in winter as compared to summer as consequence of more frequent inversion situations and enhanced particulate emissions. The diurnal variations of particle number were shaped by a remarkable maximum in the morning during the peak traffic hours. After a mid-day decrease along with the onset of vertical mixing, an evening concentration maximum could frequently be observed, suggesting a re-stratification of the urban atmosphere. Overall, the mixed layer height turned out to be the most influential meteorological parameter on the particle size distribution. Its influence was even greater than that of the geographical origin of the prevailing synoptic-scale air mass. Size distributions below 0.8 μm were also measured downstream of a thermodenuder (temperature: 300 °C), allowing to retrieve the volume concentration of non-volatile compounds. The balance of particle number upstream and downstream of the thermodenuder suggests that practically all particles >12 nm contain a non-volatile core while additional nucleation of particles smaller than 6 nm could be observed after the thermodenuder as an interfering artifact of the method. The good correlation between the non-volatile volume concentration and an independent measurement of the aerosol absorption coefficient (R2=0.9) suggests a close correspondence of the refractory and light-absorbing particle fractions. Using the "summation method", an average diameter ratio of particles before and after volatilisation could be determined as a function of particle size. The results indicated that particles >60 nm contain a significantly higher fraction of non-volatile compounds, most likely black carbon, than particles <60 nm. The results are relevant for future health-related studies in that they explore the size distribution and time-dependent behaviour of the refractory component of the urban aerosol over an extended time period

Surgical smoke and ultrafine particles

© 2008 Brüske-Hohlfeld et al; licensee BioMed Central Ltd. This is an Open Access article distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution Licens

A Chemical Kinetic Modeling Study of the Effects of Oxygenated Hydrocarbons on Soot Emissions from Diesel Engines

A detailed chemical kinetic modeling approach is used to examine the phenomenon of suppression of sooting in diesel engines by addition of oxygenated hydrocarbon species to the fuel. This suppression, which has been observed experimentally for a few years, is explained kinetically as a reduction in concentrations of soot precursors present in the hot products of a fuel-rich diesel ignition zone when oxygenates are included. Oxygenates decrease the overall equivalence ratio of the igniting mixture, producing higher ignition temperatures and more radical species to consume more soot precursor species, leading to lower soot production. The kinetic model is also used to show how different oxygenates, ester structures in particular, can have different soot-suppression efficiencies due to differences in molecular structure of the oxygenated species

Short-term effects of air pollution: a panel study of blood markers in patients with chronic pulmonary disease

<p>Abstract</p> <p>Background</p> <p>Growing evidence indicates that ambient air pollution is associated with exacerbation of chronic diseases like chronic pulmonary disease. A prospective panel study was conducted to investigate short-term changes of blood markers of inflammation and coagulation in response to daily changes in air pollution in Erfurt, Germany. 12 clinical visits were scheduled and blood parameters were measured in 38 male patients with chronic pulmonary disease during winter 2001/2002. Additive mixed models with random patient intercept were applied, adjusting for trend, weekday, and meteorological parameters. Hourly data on ultrafine particles (UFP, 0.01-0.1 μm), accumulation mode particles (ACP, 0.1-1.0 μm), PM₁₀(particulate matter <10 μm in diameter), elemental (EC) and organic carbon (OC), gaseous pollutants (nitrogen monoxide [NO], nitrogen dioxide [NO₂], carbon monoxide [CO], and sulphur dioxide [SO₂]) were collected at a central monitoring site and meteorological data were received from an official network. For each person and visit the individual 24-hour average of pollutants immediately preceding the blood withdrawal (lag 0) up to day 5 (lag1-4) and 5-day running means were calculated.</p> <p>Results</p> <p>Increased levels of fibrinogen were observed for an increase in one interquartile range of UFP, PM₁₀, EC, OC, CO, and NO revealing the strongest effect for lag 3. E-selectin increased in association with ACP and PM₁₀with a delay of one day. The ACP effect was also seen with the 5-day-mean. The pattern found for D-dimer was inconsistent. Prothrombin fragment 1+2 decreased with lag 4 consistently for all particulate pollutants. Von Willebrand factor antigen (vWF) showed a consistent decrease in association with almost all air pollutants with all lags except for lag 0. No associations were found for C-reactive protein, soluble intercellular adhesion molecule 1, serum amyloid A and factor VII.</p> <p>Conclusion</p> <p>These results suggest that elevated concentrations of air pollution are associated with changes in some blood markers of inflammation and coagulation in patients with chronic pulmonary disease. The clinical implications of these findings need further investigation.</p

First observation of scissors mode states in an odd-mass nucleus

Nuclear resonance fluorescence experiments are reported to search for enhanced M1 scissors mode states in the deformed odd-mass nucleus Dy163. A concentration of dipole strengths near 3 MeV excitation energy is found, which fits nicely into the systematics observed for M1 excitations in the neighboring even-even Dy isotopes. The observed strength distribution and the decay branching ratios are discussed in the context of the interacting boson-fermion model.Dirección General de Investigación Científica y Técnica PB89-063