1,437 research outputs found
Shock Wave Lithotripsy (ESWL) results aren’t improving. What can Radiographers do to improve outcomes with better kidney stone fragmentation?
Findings of polymerase chain reaction (PCR) studies of cytomegalovirus (CMV) and Epstein-
Barr virus (EBV) and breast cancer vary, making it difficult to determine whether either,
both, or neither virus is causally associated with breast cancer. We investigated CMV and
EBV in paired samples of breast cancer and normal breast tissue from 70 women using
quantitative PCR. A serum sample from each woman was tested for CMV and EBV IgG. To
place our results in context, we reviewed the existing literature and performed a meta-analysis
of our results together with previous PCR studies of EBV, CMV, and breast cancer. Of
the serology samples, 67 of 70 (96%) were EBV IgG positive and 49 of 70 (70%) were CMV
IgG positive. QPCR detected EBV in 24 (34%) of the tumour and 9 (13%) of the paired normal
specimens and CMV in 0 (0%) of the tumour and 2 (3%) of the paired normal specimens.
Our findings, together with earlier results summarised in the meta-analysis, suggest
several possibilities: variable findings may be due to limitations of molecular analyses; ‘hit
and run’ oncogenesis may lead to inconsistent results; one or both viruses has a role at a
later stage in breast cancer development; infection with multiple viruses increases breast
cancer risk; or neither virus has a role. Future studies should focus on ways to investigate
these possibilities, and should include comparisons of breast cancer tissue samples with
appropriate normal tissue samples
Oxygen depletion affects kinematics and shoaling cohesion of cyprinid fish
CommunicationNumerous anthropogenic stressors impact rivers worldwide. Hypoxia, resulting
from organic waste releases and eutrophication, occurs very commonly in Mediterranean rivers.
Nonetheless, little is known about the effects of deoxygenation on the behavior of Mediterranean
freshwater fish. To fill this knowledge gap, we assessed the impact of three different dissolved
oxygen levels (normoxia, 48.4%, 16.5% saturation) on kinematics indicators (swimming velocity,
acceleration, distance traveled) and shoaling cohesion of adult Iberian barbel, Luciobarbus bocagei,
a widespread cyprinid species inhabiting a broad range of lotic and lentic habitats. We conducted
flume experiments and video-tracked individual swimming movements of shoals of five fish. Our
results reveal significant differences between the treatments regarding kinematics. Swimming velocity,
acceleration, and total distance traveled decreased stepwise from the control to each of the two oxygen
depletion treatments, whereby the difference between the control and both depletion levels was
significant, respectively, but not between the depletion levels themselves. Shoaling cohesion showed
dissimilarities between the treatments regarding the maximum distance between fish, as the high
depletion treatment differed from each of the other two, indicating that under severe oxygen depletion
some individuals move away from the shoal. Overall, our results show how oxygen depletion
changes fish behavior, which may entail ecological responses, highlighting the need to maintain
an unfragmented river network to ensure movement dispersal among habitats, thus providing
conditions for species escapement from hypoxiainfo:eu-repo/semantics/publishedVersio
Accuracy of estimated genomic breeding values for wool and meat traits in a multi-breed sheep population
Estimated breeding values for the selection of more profitable sheep for the sheep meat and wool industries are currently based on pedigree and phenotypic records. With the advent of a medium-density DNA marker array, which genotypes ∼50000 ovine single nucleotide polymorphisms, a third source of information has become available. The aim of this paper was to determine whether this genomic information can be used to predict estimated breeding values for wool and meat traits. The effects of all single nucleotide polymorphism markers in a multi-breed sheep reference population of 7180 individuals with phenotypic records were estimated to derive prediction equations for genomic estimated breeding values (GEBV) for greasy fleece weight, fibre diameter, staple strength, breech wrinkle score, weight at ultrasound scanning, scanned eye muscle depth and scanned fat depth. Five hundred and forty industry sires with very accurate Australian sheep breeding values were used as a validation population and the accuracies of GEBV were assessed according to correlations between GEBV and Australian sheep breeding values . The accuracies of GEBV ranged from 0.15 to 0.79 for wool traits in Merino sheep and from 0.07 to 0.57 for meat traits in all breeds studied. Merino industry sires tended to have more accurate GEBV than terminal and maternal breeds because the reference population consisted mainly of Merino haplotypes. The lower accuracy for terminal and maternal breeds suggests that the density of genetic markers used was not high enough for accurate across-breed prediction of marker effects. Our results indicate that an increase in the size of the reference population will increase the accuracy of GEBV
The response of the Western Equatorial Pacific ocean to Westerly wind bursts during november 1989 to january 1990
Several 5 to 10 m s-1 westerly wind bursts of 10-15 days' duration occurred in the Western Equatorial Pacific during november 1989 to January 1990. The response to these wind bursts was characterized by a 400- to 600 km wide eastward jet in the upper 100-150 m along the equator between 135°E and the date line. Flow in this jet accelarated to speeds of over 100 cm s-1 within 1 week after the onset of westerly winds in november 1989 in association with super thyphoon Irma. In addition, a 20 to 40 cm s-1 westward counterflow developed between 2°N and 2°S below the surface jet separating it from the eastward flow of the Equatorial undercurrent in the thermocline. Changes in surface layer zonal volume transport in the Western Pacific due to westerly wind bursts were 25-56 Sv based on comparison of three shipboard velocity transects in november and december 1989. Although fluctuations in current speeds in the thermocline were generally smaller and less directly related to local wind forcing than those in the surface layer, the Equatorial undercurrent decelerated to less than 20 cm s-1 (i.e., less than half its speed before the onset of westerlies) by early december 1989. (D'après résumé d'auteur
Traceability for Mutation Analysis in Model Transformation
International audienceModel transformation can't be directly tested using program techniques. Those have to be adapted to model characteristics. In this paper we focus on one test technique: mutation analysis. This technique aims to qualify a test data set by analyzing the execution results of intentionally faulty program versions. If the degree of qualification is not satisfactory, the test data set has to be improved. In the context of model, this step is currently relatively fastidious and manually performed. We propose an approach based on traceability mechanisms in order to ease the test model set improvement in the mutation analysis process. We illustrate with a benchmark the quick automatic identification of the input model to change. A new model is then created in order to raise the quality of the test data set
Electronic properties of shallow level defects in ZnO grown by pulsed laser deposition
We have used deep level transient spectroscopy (DLTS) to characterise four defects
with shallow levels in ZnO grown by pulsed laser deposition (PLD). These defects all have
DLTS peaks below 100 K. From DLTS measurements and Arrhenius plots we have calculated
the energy levels of these defects as 31 meV, 64 meV, 100 meV and 140 meV, respectively,
below the conduction band. The 100 meV defect displayed metastable behaviour: Annealing
under reverse bias at temperatures of above 130 K introduced it while annealing under zero
bias above 110 K removed it. The 64 meV and 140 meV defects exhibited a strong electric
field assisted emission, indicating that they may be donors
Electronic properties of shallow level defects in ZnO grown by pulsed laser deposition
We have used deep level transient spectroscopy (DLTS) to characterise four defects
with shallow levels in ZnO grown by pulsed laser deposition (PLD). These defects all have
DLTS peaks below 100 K. From DLTS measurements and Arrhenius plots we have calculated
the energy levels of these defects as 31 meV, 64 meV, 100 meV and 140 meV, respectively,
below the conduction band. The 100 meV defect displayed metastable behaviour: Annealing
under reverse bias at temperatures of above 130 K introduced it while annealing under zero
bias above 110 K removed it. The 64 meV and 140 meV defects exhibited a strong electric
field assisted emission, indicating that they may be donors
Progress on a gas-accepting ion source for continuous-flow accelerator mass spectrometry
Author Posting. © Elsevier B.V., 2007. This is the author's version of the work. It is posted here by permission of Elsevier B.V. for personal use, not for redistribution. The definitive version was published in Nuclear Instruments and Methods in Physics Research Section B: Beam Interactions with Materials and Atoms 259 (2007): 83-87, doi:10.1016/j.nimb.2007.01.189.A gas-accepting microwave-plasma ion source is being developed for continuous-flow Accelerator Mass
Spectrometry (AMS). Characteristics of the ion source will be presented. Schemes for connecting a gas or liquid
chromatograph to the ion source will also be discussed
Subjective memory complaints are associated with brain activation supporting successful memory encoding
Neuro Imaging Researc
Anomalous Self-Energy Effects of the B_1g Phonon in Y_{1-x}(Pr,Ca)_xBa_2Cu_3O_7 Films
In Raman spectra of cuprate superconductors the gap shows up both directly,
via a redistribution of the electronic background, the so-called "2Delta
peaks", and indirectly, e.g. via the renormalization of phononic excitations.
We use a model that allows us to study the redistribution and the related
phonon self-energy effects simultaneously. We apply this model to the B_1g
phonon of Y_{1-x}(Pr,Ca)_xBa_2Cu_3O_7 films, where Pr or Ca substitution
enables us to investigate under- and overdoped samples. While various
self-energy effects can be explained by the strength and energy of the 2\Delta
peaks, anomalies remain. We discuss possible origins of these anomalies.Comment: 6 pages including 4 figure
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