1,066 research outputs found
Thermal Disruption of Mushroom Body Development and Odor Learning in Drosophila
Environmental stress (nutritive, chemical, electromagnetic and thermal) has been shown to disrupt central nervous system (CNS) development in every model system studied to date. However, empirical linkages between stress, specific targets in the brain, and consequences for behavior have rarely been established. The present study experimentally demonstrates one such linkage by examining the effects of ecologically-relevant thermal stress on development of the Drosophila melanogaster mushroom body (MB), a conserved sensory integration and associative center in the insect brain. We show that a daily hyperthermic episode throughout larval and pupal development (1) severely disrupts MB anatomy by reducing intrinsic Kenyon cell (KC) neuron numbers but has little effect on other brain structures or general anatomy, and (2) greatly impairs associative odor learning in adults, despite having little effect on memory or sensory acuity. Hence, heat stress of ecologically relevant duration and intensity can impair brain development and learning potential
Neural network parametrization of the lepton energy spectrum in semileptonic B meson decays
We construct a parametrization of the lepton energy spectrum in inclusive
semileptonic decays of B mesons, based on the available experimental
information: moments of the spectrum with cuts, their errors and their
correlations, together with kinematical constraints. The result is obtained in
the form of a Monte Carlo sample of neural networks trained on replicas of the
experimental data, which represents the probability density in the space of
lepton energy spectra. This parametrization is then used to extract the b quark
mass m_b^{1S} in a way that theoretical uncertainties are minimized, for which
the value m_b^{1S}=4.84 \pm 0.14^{exp}\pm 0.05^{th} GeV is obtained.Comment: 32 pages, 22 figures, JHEP3 class. v4 version accepted for
publication in JHE
Barriers to the development of palliative care in Western Europe
The Eurobarometer Survey of the <i>EAPC Task Force on the Development of Palliative Care in Europe</i> is part of a programme of work to produce comprehensive information on the provision of palliative care across Europe.
Aim: To identify barriers to the development of palliative care in Western Europe.
Method: A qualitative survey was undertaken amongst boards of national associations, eliciting opinions on opportunities for, and barriers to, palliative care development. By July 2006, 44/52 (85%) European countries had responded to the survey; we report here on the results from 22/25 (88%) countries in Western Europe.
Analysis: Data from the Eurobarometer survey were analysed thematically by geographical region and by the degree of development of palliative care in each country.
Results: From the data contained within the Eurobarometer, we identified six significant barriers to the development of palliative care in Western Europe: (i) Lack of palliative care education and training programmes (ii) Lack of awareness and recognition of palliative care (iii) Limited availability of/knowledge about opioid analgesics (iv) Limited funding (v) Lack of coordination amongst services (vi) Uneven palliative care coverage.
Conclusion: Findings from the EAPC Eurobarometer survey suggest that barriers to the development of palliative care in Western Europe may differ substantially from each other in both their scope and context and that some may be considered to be of greater significance than others. A number of common barriers to the development of the discipline do exist and much work still remains to be done in the identified areas. This paper provides a road map of which barriers need to be addressed
Adjuvant high-dose medroxyprogesterone acetate for early breast cancer: 13 years update in a multicentre randomized trial
The authors updated their report on a randomized trial initiated in 1982 comparing, in early breast cancer, high-dose IM Medroxyprogesterone acetate (HD-MPA) adjuvant hormonotherapy during 6 months with no hormonotherapy; node-positive patients also received 6 courses of IV CMF (day 1, day 8; q.4 weeks). 246 node-negative (NN) and 270 node-positive (NP) patients had been followed for a median duration of 13 years. Previous results were confirmed in this analysis on mature data. In NN patients, relapse-free survival (RFS) was improved in the adjuvant hormonotherapy arm, regardless of age while overall survival (OAS) was also increased in younger (less then 50 years) patients. In the whole group of NP patients, no difference was seen regarding RFS or OAS. However, an age-dependant opposite effect was observed: younger patients (<â50) experienced a worse and significant outcome of relapse-free and overall survivals when receiving adjuvant HD-MPA while older patients (>â=â50) enjoyed a significant improvement of their relapse-free survival. For both NN and NP patients, differences in overall survivals observed in older women with a shorter follow-up, were no longer detected. © 2001 Cancer Research Campaign http://www.bjcancer.co
Constructing female entrepreneurship policy in the UK : is the US a relevant benchmark?
Successive UK governments have introduced a range of policy initiatives designed to encourage more women to start new firms. Underpinning these policies has been an explicit ambition for the UK to achieve similar participation rates as those in the US where it is widely reported that women own nearly half the stock of businesses. The data underlying these objectives are critically evaluated and it is argued that the definitions and measures of female enterprise used in the UK and the US restrict meaningful comparisons between the two. It is suggested that the expansion of female entrepreneurship in the US is historically and culturally specific to that country. UK policy goals should reflect the national socioeconomic context, while drawing upon good practice examples from a range of other countries. The paper concludes by discussing the economic and social viability of encouraging more women in the UK to enter self-employment without fully recognising the intensely competitive sectors in which they are often located
Mutation analysis of P73 and TP53 in Merkel cell carcinoma
The p73 gene has been mapped to 1p36.33, a region which is frequently deleted in a wide variety of neoplasms including tumours of neuroectodermal origin. The p73 protein shows structural and functional homology to p53. For these reasons, p73 was considered as a positional and functional candidate tumour suppressor gene. Thus far, mutation analysis has provided no evidence for involvement of p73 in oligodendrogliomas, lung carcinoma, oesophageal carcinoma, prostatic carcinoma and hepatocellular carcinoma. In neuroblastoma, two mutations have been observed in a series of 140 tumours. In view of the occurrence of 1p deletions in Merkel cell carcinoma (MCC) and the location of p73 we decided to search for mutations in the p73 gene in five MCC cell lines and ten MCC tumours to test potential tumour suppressor function for this gene in MCC. In view of the possible complementary functions of p73 and TP53 we also examined the status of the TP53 gene. Sequence analysis of the entire coding region of the p73 gene revealed previously reported polymorphisms in four MCCs. In one MCC tumour, a mis-sense mutation located in the NH2-terminal transactivation region of the p73 gene was found. These results show that p73, analogous to neuroblastoma, is infrequently mutated in MCC. This is also the first report in which the role of TP53 in MCC has been investigated by sequencing the entire coding region of TP53. TP53 mis-sense mutations and one non-sense mutation were detected in three of 15 examined MCCs, suggesting that TP53 mutations may play a role in the pathogenesis or progression of a subset of MCCs. Moreover, typical UVB induced C to T mutations were found in one MCC cell line thus providing further evidence for sun-exposure in the aetiology of this rare skin cancer. © 2000 Cancer Research Campaig
The radius and mass of the close solar twin 18 Sco derived from asteroseismology and interferometry
The growing interest in solar twins is motivated by the possibility of
comparing them directly to the Sun. To carry on this kind of analysis, we need
to know their physical characteristics with precision. Our first objective is
to use asteroseismology and interferometry on the brightest of them: 18 Sco. We
observed the star during 12 nights with HARPS for seismology and used the PAVO
beam-combiner at CHARA for interferometry. An average large frequency
separation Hz and angular and linear radiuses of mas and R were estimated. We used these
values to derive the mass of the star, M.Comment: 5 pages, 5 figure
Characterisation of the main belt asteroid (223) Rosa: A proposed flyby target of ESA's JUICE mission
Context. The ESA JUICE space mission, on its way to study Jupiter's environment and icy moons, will pass twice through the main asteroid belt. For this reason, the possibility to perform an asteroid flyby has been investigated. Aims. We aim to gain insight into the physical properties of the outer main belt asteroid (223) Rosa, which has been proposed as a potential JUICE flyby target. Methods. We report new visible and near-infrared spectroscopic observations at different rotation phases. Additionally, we perform a literature review of all the available physical properties, such as diameter, albedo, mass, and rotational period. Results. We find that asteroid Rosa is an X-type asteroid that shows no significant spectral variability combining the new and literature spectroscopic data. Its large size and orbital semimajor axis in the outer main belt indicate that Rosa does not belong to the Themis family, while its albedo is only marginally compatible with the family. Rosa's estimated density is in agreement with those of other low-albedo X-type asteroids. Hence, we propose that Rosa is a planetesimal that accreted in the protoplanetary disk beyond the snow line
Constraining Supersymmetry
We review constraints on the minimal supersymmetric extension of the Standard
Model (MSSM) coming from direct searches at accelerators such as LEP, indirect
measurements such as b -> s gamma decay and the anomalous magnetic moment of
the muon. The recently corrected sign of pole light-by-light scattering
contributions to the latter is taken into account. We combine these constraints
with those due to the cosmological density of stable supersymmetric relic
particles. The possible indications on the supersymmetric mass scale provided
by fine-tuning arguments are reviewed critically. We discuss briefly the
prospects for future accelerator searches for supersymmetry.Comment: 21 LaTeX pages, 9 eps figures, Invited Contribution to the New
Journal of Physics Focus Issue on Supersymmetr
Hadron Spectroscopy: Theory and Experiment
Many new results on hadron spectra have been appearing in the past few years
thanks to improved experimental techniques and searches in new channels. New
theoretical techniques including refined methods of lattice QCD have kept pace
with these developments. Much has been learned about states made of both light
(u, d, and s) and heavy (c, b) quarks. The present review treats light-quark
mesons, glueballs, hybrids, particles with a single c or b quark, charmonium,
and bottomonium states. Some prospects for further study are noted.Comment: 29 pages, 9 figures, to be published in Journal of Physics G. Further
updating of reference
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