617 research outputs found

    Robust approach to thermal resummation : Standard Model meets a singlet

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    Perturbation theory alone fails to describe thermodynamics of the electroweak phase transition. We review a technique combining perturbative and non-perturbative methods to overcome this challenge. Accordingly, the principal theme is a tutorial of high-temperature dimensional reduction. We present an explicit derivation with a real singlet scalar and compute the thermal effective potential at two-loop order. In particular, we detail the dimensional reduction for a real-singlet extended Standard Model. The resulting effective theory will impact future non-perturbative studies based on lattice simulations as well as purely perturbative investigations.Peer reviewe

    Indoors illumination and seasonal changes in mood and behavior are associated with the health-related quality of life

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    <p>Abstract</p> <p>Objective</p> <p>Seasonal changes in mood and behavior are common in a general population, being of relevance to public health. We wanted to analyze whether the HRQoL is associated with the seasonal changes in mood and behavior. Because the shortage of exposure to daylight or artificial bright light has been linked to the occurrence of the seasonal changes, we wanted to know whether illumination indoors contributes to the HRQoL.</p> <p>Methods</p> <p>Of the sample of 7979 individuals, being representative of the Finnish general population aged 30 and over, 88% were interviewed face to face, and 84% participated in the health status examination after which the self-report assessment of the HRQoL and the seasonal changes in mood and behavior took place. The illumination levels experienced indoors were asked during the interview and the 12-item General Health Questionnaire (GHQ-12) was filled in before the health examination.</p> <p>Results</p> <p>The HRQoL was influenced by both the seasonal changes in mood and behavior (P < 0.001) and the illumination experienced indoors (P < 0.001). Greater seasonal changes (P < 0.001) and poor illumination indoors (P = 0.0035) were associated with more severe mental ill-being.</p> <p>Conclusion</p> <p>The routinely emerging seasonal changes in mood and behavior are associated with the HRQoL and mental well-being. Better illumination indoors might alleviate the season-bound symptoms and thereby enhance the HRQoL and mental well-being.</p

    Mortality in people with psychotic disorders in Finland : A population-based 13-year follow-up study

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    Objectives: We conducted a population based study aiming at finding predictors of mortality in psychotic disorders and evaluating the extent to which sociodemographic, lifestyle and health-related factors explain the excess mortality. Methods: In a nationally representative sample of Finns aged 30-70 years (n = 5642), psychotic disorders were diagnosed using structured interviews and medical records in 2000-2001. Information on mortality and causes of death was obtained of those who died by the end of year 2013. Cox proportional hazards models were used to investigate the mortality risk. Results: No people with affective psychoses (n = 36) died during the follow-up, thus the analysis was restricted to non-affective psychotic disorders (NAP) (n = 106). Adjusting for age and sex, NAP was statistically significantly associated with all-cause mortality (hazard ratio (HR) 2.99, 95% CI 2.03-441) and natural-cause mortality (HR 2.81, 95% CI 1.85-4.28). After adjusting for sociodemographic factors, health status, inflammation and smoking, the HR dropped to 2.11 (95%CI 1.10-4.05) for all-cause and to 1.98 (95% CI 0.94-4.16) for natural-cause mortality. Within the NAP group, antipsychotic use at baseline was associated with reduced HR for natural-cause mortality (HR 0.25, 95% CI 0.07-0.96), and smoking with increased HR (HR 3.54, 95% CI 1.07-11.69). Conclusions: The elevated mortality risk in people with NAP is only partly explained by socioeconomic factors, lifestyle, cardio-metabolic comorbidities and inflammation. Smoking cessation should be prioritized in treatment of psychotic disorders. More research is needed on the quality of treatment of somatic diseases in people with psychotic disorders. (C) 2017 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.Peer reviewe

    Identifying Local and Centralized Mental Health ServicesThe Development of a New Categorizing Variable

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    The challenges of mental health and substance abuse services (MHS) require shifting of the balance of resources from institutional care to community care. In order to track progress, an instrument that can describe these attributes of MHS is needed. We created a coding variable in the European Service Mapping Schedule-Revised (ESMS-R) mapping tool using a modified Delphi panel that classified MHS into centralized, local services with gatekeeping and local services without gatekeeping. For feasibility and validity, we tested the variable on a dataset comprising MHS in Southern Finland, covering a population of 2.3 million people. There were differences in the characteristics of services between our study regions. In our data, 41% were classified as centralized, 37% as local without gatekeeping and 22% as local services with gatekeeping. The proportion of resources allocated to local services varied from 20% to 43%. Reclassifying ESMS-R is an easy way to compare the important local vs. centralized balance of MHS systems globally, where such data exists. Further international studies comparing systems and validating this approach are needed.Peer reviewe

    High-Gradient Test of a Tungsten-Iris X-Band Accelerator Structure at NLCTA

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    The CLIC study group at CERN has built two X-band accelerating structures to be tested at SLAC in NLCTA. The structures consist of copper cells with insert irises made out of molybdenum and tungsten, clamped together and installed in a vacuum tank. These structures are exactly scaled versions from structures tested previously at 30 GHz and with short pulses (16 ns) in the CLIC Test Facility at CERN. At 30 GHz these structures reached gradients of 150 MV/m for tungsten and 195 MV/m for molybdenum. These experiments were designed to provide data on the dependence of rf breakdown on pulse length and frequency. This paper reports in particular on the high-gradient test of the tungsten-iris structure. At the shortest possible pulse length of 22 ns a gradient of 125 MV/m was reached at X-band, 20 % lower than the 150 MV/m measured at 30 GHz in the CLIC Test Facility. The pulse length dependence and the dependence of the break down rate as a function of gradient were measured in detail. The results are compared to data obtained from the molybdenum-iris experiment at X-band which took place earlier as well as to 30 GHz data

    Validation of the Finnish version of the SCOFF questionnaire among young adults aged 20 to 35 years

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    <p>Abstract</p> <p>Background</p> <p>We tested the validity of the SCOFF, a five-question screening instrument for eating disorders, in a general population sample.</p> <p>Methods</p> <p>A random sample of 1863 Finnish young adults was approached with a questionnaire that contained several screens for mental health interview, including the SCOFF. The questionnaire was returned by 1316 persons. All screen positives and a random sample of screen negatives were invited to SCID interview. Altogether 541 subjects participated in the SCID interview and had filled in the SCOFF questionnaire. We investigated the validity of the SCOFF in detecting current eating disorders by calculating sensitivity, specificity, and positive and negative predictive values (PPV and NPV) for different cut-off scores. We also performed a ROC analysis based on these 541 persons, of whom nine had current eating disorder.</p> <p>Results</p> <p>The threshold of two positive answers presented the best ability to detect eating disorders, with a sensitivity of 77.8%, a specificity of 87.6%, a PPV of 9.7%, and a NPV of 99.6%. None of the subjects with current eating disorder scored zero points in the SCOFF.</p> <p>Conclusion</p> <p>Due to its low PPV, there are limitations in using the SCOFF as a screening instrument in unselected population samples. However, it might be used for ruling out the possibility of eating disorders.</p

    Hoitosuositukset, systemaattiset vinoumat ja luottamus lääkäreihin

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    Luotettavasti laaditut hoitosuositukset ovat työväline, jolla tarjotun hoidon laatua voidaan tutkitusti parantaa. Hoitosuositusten laatiminen on kuitenkin moniulotteinen prosessi, johon ei ole yhtä yksiselitteisesti oikeaa menetelmää ja joka sisältää näytön tulkinnan lisäksi myös monenlaisia arvovalintoja. Siksi hoitosuositusten laatimisprosessi on altis myös päätöksenteon systemaattisille vinoumille. Koska ne eivät johdu yksilöiden tietoisista valinnoista, niiden tehokkaat ehkäisykeinot ovat rakenteellisia. Käsittelemme tässä katsausartikkelissa mekanismeja, joilla päätöksenteko saattaa vinoutua, ja esitämme rakenteellisia ratkaisuja niiden ehkäisemiseksi. Kaksi erityisen merkittävää tekijää, jotka altistavat hoitosuositukset systemaattisille vinoumille, ovat taloudelliset sidonnaisuudet ja ammattikuntaedut. Vinoumien ehkäisykeinoiksi esitämme puolueettomien asiantuntijoiden käyttöä, metodologisen osaamisen vahvistamista ja moniammatillisia työryhmiä.publishedVersionPeer reviewe

    The Convergence of the Hedgehog/Intein Fold in Different Protein Splicing Mechanisms

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    Protein splicing catalyzed by inteins utilizes many different combinations of amino-acid types at active sites. Inteins have been classified into three classes based on their characteristic sequences. We investigated the structural basis of the protein splicing mechanism of class 3 inteins by determining crystal structures of variants of a class 3 intein from Mycobacterium chimaera and molecular dynamics simulations, which suggested that the class 3 intein utilizes a different splicing mechanism from that of class 1 and 2 inteins. The class 3 intein uses a bond cleavage strategy reminiscent of proteases but share the same Hedgehog/INTein (HINT) fold of other intein classes. Engineering of class 3 inteins from a class 1 intein indicated that a class 3 intein would unlikely evolve directly from a class 1 or 2 intein. The HINT fold appears as structural and functional solution for trans-peptidyl and trans-esterification reactions commonly exploited by diverse mechanisms using different combinations of amino-acid types for the active-site residues
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