Adiposity, Dysmetabolic Traits, and Earlier Onset of Female Puberty in Adolescent Offspring of Women With Gestational Diabetes Mellitus: A Clinical Study Within the Danish National Birth Cohort

OBJECTIVE Offspring of pregnancies affected by gestational diabetes mellitus (GDM) are at increased risk of the development of type 2 diabetes. However, the extent to which these dysmetabolic traits may be due to offspring and/or maternal adiposity is unknown. We examined body composition and associated cardiometabolic traits in 561 9- to 16-year-old offspring of mothers with GDM and 597 control offspring. RESEARCH DESIGN AND METHODS We measured anthropometric characteristics; puberty status; blood pressure; and fasting glucose, insulin, C-peptide, and lipid levels; and conducted a DEXA scan in a subset of the cohort. Differences in the outcomes between offspring of mothers with GDM and control subjects were examined using linear and logistic regression models. RESULTS After adjustment for age and sex, offspring of mothers with GDM displayed higher weight, BMI, waist-to-hip ratio (WHR), systolic blood pressure, and resting heart rate and lower height. Offspring of mothers with GDM had higher total and abdominal fat percentages and lower muscle mass percentages, but these differences disappeared after correction for offspring BMI. The offspring of mothers with GDM displayed higher fasting plasma glucose, insulin, C-peptide, HOMA-insulin resistance (IR), and plasma triglyceride levels, whereas fasting plasma HDL cholesterol levels were decreased. Female offspring of mothers with GDM had an earlier onset of puberty than control offspring. Offspring of mothers with GDM had significantly higher BMI, WHR, fasting glucose, and HOMA-IR levels after adjustment for maternal prepregnancy BMI, and glucose and HOMA-IR remained elevated in the offspring of mothers with GDM after correction for both maternal and offspring BMIs. CONCLUSIONS In summary, adolescent offspring of women with GDM show increased adiposity, an adverse cardiometabolic profile, and earlier onset of puberty among girls. Increased fasting glucose and HOMA-IR levels among the offspring of mothers with GDM may be explained by the programming effects of hyperglycemia in pregnancy. </jats:sec

Charged Pion Production in 2 to 8 AGeV Central Au+Au Collisions

Momentum spectra of charged pions over nearly full rapidity coverage from target to beam rapidity have been measured in the 0-5% most central Au+Au collisions in the beam energy range from 2 to 8 AGeV by the E895 Experiment. Using a thermal parameterization to fit the transverse mass spectra, rapidity density distributions are extracted. The observed spectra are compared with predictions from the RQMD v2.3 cascade model and also to a thermal model including longitudinal flow. The total 4$\pi$ yields of the charged pions are used to infer an initial state entropy produced in the collisions.Comment: 13 pgs, 19 figs, accepted by Phys. Rev. C. Data tables available at http://nuclear.ucdavis.edu/~e895/published_spectra.htm

Laying the groundwork at the AGS: Recent results from experiment E895

The E895 Collaboration at the Brookhaven AGS has performed a systematic investigation of Au+Au collisions at 2-8 AGeV, using a large-acceptance Time Projection Chamber. In addition to extensive measurements of particle flow, spectra, two-particle interferometry, and strangeness production, we have performed novel hybrid analyses, including azimuthally-sensitive pion HBT, extraction of the six-dimensional pion phasespace density, and a first measurement of the Lambda-proton correlation function.Comment: Presented at Quark Matter 2001, 8 pages, 5 figure

Near-threshold production of the multi-strange Ξ−\Xi^- hyperon

The yield for the multi-strange $\Xi^{-}$ hyperon has been measured in 6 AGeV Au+Au collisions via reconstruction of its decay products $\pi^{-}$ and $\Lambda$, the latter also being reconstructed from its daughter tracks of $\pi^{-}$ and p. The measurement is rather close to the threshold for $\Xi^{-}$ production and therefore provides an important test of model predictions. The measured yield for $\Xi^{-}$ and $\Lambda$ are compared for several centralities. In central collisions the $\Xi^{-}$ yield is found to be in excellent agreement with statistical and transport model predictions, suggesting that multi-strange hadron production approaches chemical equilibrium in high baryon density nuclear matter.Comment: Submitted to PR

Determinants of impact : towards a better understanding of encounters with the arts

The article argues that current methods for assessing the impact of the arts are largely based on a fragmented and incomplete understanding of the cognitive, psychological and socio-cultural dynamics that govern the aesthetic experience. It postulates that a better grasp of the interaction between the individual and the work of art is the necessary foundation for a genuine understanding of how the arts can affect people. Through a critique of philosophical and empirical attempts to capture the main features of the aesthetic encounter, the article draws attention to the gaps in our current understanding of the responses to art. It proposes a classification and exploration of the factors—social, cultural and psychological—that contribute to shaping the aesthetic experience, thus determining the possibility of impact. The ‘determinants of impact’ identified are distinguished into three groups: those that are inherent to the individual who interacts with the artwork; those that are inherent to the artwork; and ‘environmental factors’, which are extrinsic to both the individual and the artwork. The article concludes that any meaningful attempt to assess the impact of the arts would need to take these ‘determinants of impact’ into account, in order to capture the multidimensional and subjective nature of the aesthetic experience

Statistical signatures of critical behavior in small systems

The cluster distributions of different systems are examined to search for signatures of a continuous phase transition. In a system known to possess such a phase transition, both sensitive and insensitive signatures are present; while in systems known not to possess such a phase transition, only insensitive signatures are present. It is shown that nuclear multifragmentation results in cluster distributions belonging to the former category, suggesting that the fragments are the result of a continuous phase transition.Comment: 31 pages, two columns with 30 figure

The energy dependence of flow in Ni induced collisions from 400 to 1970A MeV

We study the energy dependence of collective (hydrodynamic-like) nuclear matter flow in 400-1970 A MeV Ni+Au and 1000-1970 A MeV Ni+Cu reactions. The flow increases with energy, reaches a maximum, and then gradually decreases at higher energies. A way of comparing the energy dependence of flow values for different projectile-target mass combinations is introduced, which demonstrates a common scaling behaviour among flow values from different systems.Comment: 12 pages, 3 figures. Submitted to Physical Review Letter

Azimuthal anisotropy of K0S and Lambda + Lambda -bar production at midrapidity from Au+Au collisions at sqrt[sNN]=130 GeV

We report STAR results on the azimuthal anisotropy parameter v2 for strange particles K0S, Lambda , and Lambda -bar at midrapidity in Au+Au collisions at sqrt[sNN]=130 GeV at the Relativistic Heavy Ion Collider. The value of v2 as a function of transverse momentum, pt, of the produced particle and collision centrality is presented for both particles up to pt~3.0 GeV/c. A strong pt dependence in v2 is observed up to 2.0 GeV/c. The v2 measurement is compared with hydrodynamic model calculations. The physics implications of the pt integrated v2 magnitude as a function of particle mass are also discussed.Alle Autoren: C. Adler, Z. Ahammed, C. Allgower, J. Amonett, B. D. Anderson, M. Anderson, G. S. Averichev, J. Balewski, O. Barannikova, L. S. Barnby, J. Baudot, S. Bekele, V. V. Belaga, R. Bellwied, J. Berger, H. Bichsel, A. Billmeier, L. C. Bland, C. O. Blyth, B. E. Bonner, A. Boucham, A. Brandin, A. Bravar, R. V. Cadman, H. Caines, M. Calderón de la Barca Sánchez, A. Cardenas, J. Carroll, J. Castillo, M. Castro, D. Cebra, P. Chaloupka, S. Chattopadhyay, Y. Chen, S. P. Chernenko, M. Cherney, A. Chikanian, B. Choi, W. Christie, J. P. Coffin, T. M. Cormier, J. G. Cramer, H. J. Crawford, W. S. Deng, A. A. Derevschikov, L. Didenko, T. Dietel, J. E. Draper, V. B. Dunin, J. C. Dunlop, V. Eckardt, L. G. Efimov, V. Emelianov, J. Engelage, G. Eppley, B. Erazmus, P. Fachini, V. Faine, K. Filimonov, E. Finch, Y. Fisyak, D. Flierl, K. J. Foley, J. Fu, C. A. Gagliardi, N. Gagunashvili, J. Gans, L. Gaudichet, M. Germain, F. Geurts, V. Ghazikhanian, O. Grachov, V. Grigoriev, M. Guedon, E. Gushin, T. J. Hallman, D. Hardtke, J. W. Harris, T. W. Henry, S. Heppelmann, T. Herston, B. Hippolyte, A. Hirsch, E. Hjort, G. W. Hoffmann, M. Horsley, H. Z. Huang, T. J. Humanic, G. Igo, A. Ishihara, Yu. I. Ivanshin, P. Jacobs, W. W. Jacobs, M. Janik, I. Johnson, P. G. Jones, E. G. Judd, M. Kaneta, M. Kaplan, D. Keane, J. Kiryluk, A. Kisiel, J. Klay, S. R. Klein, A. Klyachko, A. S. Konstantinov, M. Kopytine, L. Kotchenda, A. D. Kovalenko, M. Kramer, P. Kravtsov, K. Krueger, C. Kuhn, A. I. Kulikov, G. J. Kunde, C. L. Kunz, R. Kh. Kutuev, A. A. Kuznetsov, L. Lakehal-Ayat, M. A. C. Lamont, J. M. Landgraf, S. Lange, C. P. Lansdell, B. Lasiuk, F. Laue, A. Lebedev, R. Lednický, V. M. Leontiev, M. J. LeVine, Q. Li, S. J. Lindenbaum, M. A. Lisa, F. Liu, L. Liu, Z. Liu, Q. J. Liu, T. Ljubicic, W. J. Llope, G. LoCurto, H. Long, R. S. Longacre, M. Lopez-Noriega, W. A. Love, T. Ludlam, D. Lynn, J. Ma, R. Majka, S. Margetis, C. Markert, L. Martin, J. Marx, H. S. Matis, Yu. A. Matulenko, T. S. McShane, F. Meissner, Yu. Melnick, A. Meschanin, M. Messer, M. L. Miller, Z. Milosevich, N. G. Minaev, J. Mitchell, V. A. Moiseenko, C. F. Moore, V. Morozov, M. M. de Moura, M. G. Munhoz, J. M. Nelson, P. Nevski, V. A. Nikitin, L. V. Nogach, B. Norman, S. B. Nurushev, G. Odyniec, A. Ogawa, V. Okorokov, M. Oldenburg, D. Olson, G. Paic, S. U. Pandey, Y. Panebratsev, S. Y. Panitkin, A. I. Pavlinov, T. Pawlak, V. Perevoztchikov, W. Peryt, V. A Petrov, M. Planinic, J. Pluta, N. Porile, J. Porter, A. M. Poskanzer, E. Potrebenikova, D. Prindle, C. Pruneau, J. Putschke, G. Rai, G. Rakness, O. Ravel, R. L. Ray, S. V. Razin, D. Reichhold, J. G. Reid, F. Retiere, A. Ridiger, H. G. Ritter, J. B. Roberts, O. V. Rogachevski, J. L. Romero, A. Rose, C. Roy, V. Rykov, I. Sakrejda, S. Salur, J. Sandweiss, A. C. Saulys, I. Savin, J. Schambach, R. P. Scharenberg, N. Schmitz, L. S. Schroeder, A. Schüttauf, K. Schweda, J. Seger, D. Seliverstov, P. Seyboth, E. Shahaliev, K. E. Shestermanov, S. S. Shimanskii, V. S. Shvetcov, G. Skoro, N. Smirnov, R. Snellings, P. Sorensen, J. Sowinski, H. M. Spinka, B. Srivastava, E. J. Stephenson, R. Stock, A. Stolpovsky, M. Strikhanov, B. Stringfellow, C. Struck, A. A. P. Suaide, E. Sugarbaker, C. Suire, M. Šumbera, B. Surrow, T. J. M. Symons, A. Szanto de Toledo, P. Szarwas, A. Tai, J. Takahashi, A. H. Tang, J. H. Thomas, M. Thompson, V. Tikhomirov, M. Tokarev, M. B. Tonjes, T. A. Trainor, S. Trentalange, R. E. Tribble, V. Trofimov, O. Tsai, T. Ullrich, D. G. Underwood, G. Van Buren, A. M. VanderMolen, I. M. Vasilevski, A. N. Vasiliev, S. E. Vigdor, S. A. Voloshin, F. Wang, H. Ward, J. W. Watson, R. Wells, G. D. Westfall, C. Whitten, Jr., H. Wieman, R. Willson, S. W. Wissink, R. Witt, J. Wood, N. Xu, Z. Xu, A. E. Yakutin, E. Yamamoto, J. Yang, P. Yepes, V. I. Yurevich, Y. V. Zanevski, I. Zborovský, H. Zhang, W. M. Zhang, R. Zoulkarneev, and A. N. Zubarev (STAR Collaboration

Azimuthal anisotropy of K0s and Lambda prduction at mid-rapidity from Au+Au collisions at root s = 130 GeV

We report STAR results on the azimuthal anisotropy parameter v2 for strange particles K0S, L and Lbar at midrapidity in Au+Au collisions at sNN = 130 GeV at RHIC. The value of v2 as a function of transverse momentum of the produced particles pt and collision centrality is presented for both particles up to pt 3.0 GeV/c. A strong pt dependence in v2 is observed up to 2.0 GeV/c. The v2 measurement is compared with hydrodynamic model calculations. The physics implications of the pt integrated v2 magnitude as a function of particle mass are also discussed.Comment: 6 pages, 4 figures, by the STAR collaboratio