Patent: Fusion Proteins for Treating Metabolic Disorders

The invention relates to the identification of fusion proteins comprising polypeptide and protein variants of fibroblast growth factor 21 (FGF21) with improved pharmaceutical properties. Also disclosed are methods for treating FGF21 associated disorders, including metabolic conditions

Patent: Methods of Treating FGF21-Associated Disorders

The invention relates to the identification of new polypeptide and protein variants of fibroblast growth factor 21 (FGF21) that have improved pharmaceutical properties. Also disclosed are methods for treating FGF21-associated disorders, includ ing metabolic conditions

Characterization of large area photomultipliers and its application to dark matter search with noble liquid detectors

There is growing interest in the use of noble liquid detectors to study particle properties and search for new phenomena. In particular, they are extremely suitable for performing direct searches for dark matter. In this kind of experiments, the light produced after an interaction within the sensitive volume is usually read-out by photomultipliers. The need to go to masses in the tonne scale to explore deeper regions of the parameter space, calls for the use of large area photomultipliers. In this paper we address the need to perform laboratory calibration measurements of these large photomultipliers, in particular to characterize its behaviour at cryogenic temperatures where no reference from the manufacturer is available. We present comparative tests of phototubes from two companies. The tests are performed in conditions similar to those of operation in a real experiment. Measurements of the most relevant phototube parameters (quantum efficiency, gain, linearity, etc.) both at room and liquid Argon temperatures are reported. The results show that the studied phototubes comply with the stringent requirements posed by current dark matter searches performed with noble-liquid detectors.This work has been supported by CICYT Grants FPA-2006-00684, FPA-2002-01835 and FPA- 2005-07605-C02-01

Patent: Dual Function Proteins for Treating Metabolic Disorders

The present invention relates to new proteins comprising fibroblast growth factor 2 1 (FGF21 ) and other metabolic regulators known to improve metabolic profiles in subjects to whom they are administered

Inversion analysis of the 2004 off the Kii peninsula earthquakes using seismic intensity data

Ung och tanklös är en litteraturstudie som handlar om påföljdssystemet för unga lagöverträdare. Den ger en översikt över dagens påföljdssystem samt en historisk tillbakablick inom lagstiftningen och åtgärderna kring unga lagöverträdare i Sverige. Syftet med uppsatsen är att undersöka hur dagens samhälle hanterar unga lagöverträdare. Varför ser vårt påföljdssystem ut som det gör? Tyngdpunkten i arbetet ligger på utvecklingen av påföljderna samt att det har gått från straff till ett mer behandlingsinriktat samhälle. Uppsatsen tar även upp sluten ungdomsvård och hur straff och behandlig förenas på institutionerna. De resultat som framkommer i uppsatsen är att de behandlingsmetoder som visat sig vara effektiva för gruppen unga lagöverträdare är Kognitiv beteendeterapi baserade program och familjebaserade insatser. De insatser som visats fungera bättre än andra utmärks genom att de inriktar sig på att påverka den unges sätt att tänka, känna och bete sig. Det innebär att det är mer effektivt att ge den unge någon typ av kvalificerad behandling utöver en juridisk påföljd. Uppsatsen visar även en utveckling av olika slags påföljder för unga lagöverträdare eftersom olika straffteorier har tillämpats genom tiden. Samt hur samhällets åtgärder för unga lagöverträdare förändrats.Young and thoughtless is a literature which deals with penalties for young offenders. It gives an overview of the current system of sanctions and to history in the legislation and measures relating to young offenders in Sweden. The purpose of this paper is to examine how our society handles young offenders. Why does our system of penalties the way they do? The focus of the work lies in the development of the sanctions and that it has moved from criminal to a more treatment-oriented society. The essay also takes up secure youth and how punishment and treatment united in institutions. The results obtained in the paper is that the methods of treatment proved effective for the group of young offenders is cognitive-behavioral therapy-based programs and family-based interventions. The actions demonstrated work better than others, characterized by the focus on to influence the young person's way of thinking, feeling and behaving. That means it is more effective to give the kids some type of skilled therapy beyond a legal sanction. The essay also shows a development of different types of sanctions for young offenders because various criminal theories have been applied through time. And how society measures for young offenders has changed

A novel camera type for very high energy gamma-ray astronomy based on Geiger-mode avalanche photodiodes

Geiger-mode avalanche photodiodes (G-APD) are promising new sensors for light detection in atmospheric Cherenkov telescopes. In this paper, the design and commissioning of a 36-pixel G-APD prototype camera is presented. The data acquisition is based on the Domino Ring Sampling (DRS2) chip. A sub-nanosecond time resolution has been achieved. Cosmic-ray induced air showers have been recorded using an imaging mirror setup, in a self-triggered mode. This is the first time that such measurements have been carried out with a complete G-APD camera.Comment: 9 pages with 11 figure

Time resolution of the plastic scintillator strips with matrix photomultiplier readout for J-PET tomograph

Recent tests of a single module of the Jagiellonian Positron Emission Tomography system (J-PET) consisting of 30 cm long plastic scintillator strips have proven its applicability for the detection of annihilation quanta (0.511 MeV) with a coincidence resolving time (CRT) of 0.266 ns. The achieved resolution is almost by a factor of two better with respect to the current TOF-PET detectors and it can still be improved since, as it is shown in this article, the intrinsic limit of time resolution for the determination of time of the interaction of 0.511 MeV gamma quanta in plastic scintillators is much lower. As the major point of the article, a method allowing to record timestamps of several photons, at two ends of the scintillator strip, by means of matrix of silicon photomultipliers (SiPM) is introduced. As a result of simulations, conducted with the number of SiPM varying from 4 to 42, it is shown that the improvement of timing resolution saturates with the growing number of photomultipliers, and that the 2 x 5 configuration at two ends allowing to read twenty timestamps, constitutes an optimal solution. The conducted simulations accounted for the emission time distribution, photon transport and absorption inside the scintillator, as well as quantum efficiency and transit time spread of photosensors, and were checked based on the experimental results. Application of the 2 x 5 matrix of SiPM allows for achieving the coincidence resolving time in positron emission tomography of $\approx$ 0.170 ns for 15 cm axial field-of-view (AFOV) and $\approx$ 0.365 ns for 100 cm AFOV. The results open perspectives for construction of a cost-effective TOF-PET scanner with significantly better TOF resolution and larger AFOV with respect to the current TOF-PET modalities.Comment: To be published in Phys. Med. Biol. (26 pages, 17 figures