Observation of Parity Nonconservation in Møller Scattering

We report a measurement of the parity-violating asymmetry in fixed target electron-electron (Møller) scattering: A_(PV) = [-175 ± 30(stat)± 20(syst)] X 10^(-9). This first direct observation of parity nonconservation in Møller scattering leads to a measurement of the electron’s weak charge at low energy Q^e_W = -0:053 ± 0:011. This is consistent with the standard model expectation at the current level of precision: sin^2θ_W = (M_Z)_(MS) = 0:2293 ± 0:0024(stat) ± 0:0016(syst) ± 0:0006(theory)

Expression of thromboxane synthase, TBXAS1 and the thromboxane A2 receptor, TBXA2R, in human breast cancer

BACKGROUND: Thromboxane synthase (TxS) metabolizes the cyclooxygenase product, prostaglandin H(2), into thromboxanes. Some of the thromboxanes are known to be biologically active on cancer cells. The aim of the study was to investigate the expression of thromboxane synthases, TBXAS1 and the thromboxane A2 receptor, TBXA2R in a cohort of human breast cancer patients and also to assess their potential clinical relevance. METHODS: Human breast tumour tissues (n = 120) and non-neoplastic mammary tissues (n = 32) were studied. Levels of TBXA2R and TBXAS1 transcripts were quantified using quantitative real-time RT-PCR analysis and correlated with clinical/pathological information including nodal status, grade, prognosis and long term survival (median follow-up period 120 months). RESULTS: Breast tumour tissue expressed higher levels of TBXA2R compared with normal mammary tissues, although the difference was not statistically significant (p = 0.09). There was no difference between tumour and normal tissues for TBXAS1. However, TBXA2R expression was significantly increased in grade 3 tumours(p = 0.006 vs grade 1), while TBXAS1 was significantly reduced in grade 3 tumours (p = 0.026 vs grade 1 tumours). A similar differential expression pattern was seen in tumours from patients with different prognosis, in that patients with predicted poor prognosis had higher, but not statistically different, levels of TBXA2R, and significantly lower levels of TBXAS1 (p = 0.008). Finally, Kaplan-Meier survival analysis has shown that patients with high levels of TBXA2R had significantly shorter disease free survival (103.8 (79.1–128.5) months) compared with those with low levels (123.7 (112.0–135.3)) months, p = 0.043. CONCLUSION: Thromboxane synthases are differentially expressed in human breast cancer. While TBXA2R is highly expressed in aggressive tumours and linked with poor prognosis, TBXAS1 is expressed at significantly low levels in high grade tumours and tumour patients with poor prognosis. TBXA2R thus has a significant prognostic value in clinical breast cancer

A Novel, Contactless, Portable “Spot-Check” Device Accurately Measures Respiratory Rate

Respiratory rate (RR) is an important vital sign used in the assessment of acutely ill patients. It is also used as to predict serious deterioration in a patient's clinical condition. Convenient electronic devices exist for measurement of pulse, blood pressure, oxygen saturation and temperature. Although devices which measure RR exist, none has entered everyday clinical practice. We developed a contactless portable respiratory rate monitor (CPRM) and evaluated the agreement in respiratory rate measurements between existing methods and our new device. The CPRM uses thermal anemometry to measure breath signals during inspiration and expiration. RR data were collected from 52 healthy adult volunteers using respiratory inductance plethysmography (RIP) bands (established contact method), visual counting of chest movements (established non-contact method) and the CPRM (new method), simultaneously. Two differently shaped funnel attachments were evaluated for each volunteer. Data showed good agreement between measurements from the CPRM and the gold standard RIP, with intra-class correlation coefficient (ICC): 0.836, mean difference 0.46 and 95% limits of agreement of -5.90 to 6.83. When separate air inlet funnels of the CPRM were analysed, stronger agreement was seen with an elliptical air inlet; ICC 0.908, mean difference 0.37 with 95% limits of agreement -4.35 to 5.08. A contactless device for accurately and quickly measuring respiratory rate will be an important triage tool in the clinical assessment of patients. More testing is needed to explore the reasons for outlying measurements and to evaluate in the clinical setting

A direct empirical proof of the existence of dark matter

We present new weak lensing observations of 1E0657-558 (z=0.296), a unique cluster merger, that enable a direct detection of dark matter, independent of assumptions regarding the nature of the gravitational force law. Due to the collision of two clusters, the dissipationless stellar component and the fluid-like X-ray emitting plasma are spatially segregated. By using both wide-field ground based images and HST/ACS images of the cluster cores, we create gravitational lensing maps which show that the gravitational potential does not trace the plasma distribution, the dominant baryonic mass component, but rather approximately traces the distribution of galaxies. An 8-sigma significance spatial offset of the center of the total mass from the center of the baryonic mass peaks cannot be explained with an alteration of the gravitational force law, and thus proves that the majority of the matter in the system is unseen.Comment: Accepted for publication in ApJ

Strong and weak lensing united III: Measuring the mass distribution of the merging galaxy cluster 1E0657-56

The galaxy cluster 1E0657-56 (z = 0.296) is remarkably well-suited for addressing outstanding issues in both galaxy evolution and fundamental physics. We present a reconstruction of the mass distribution from both strong and weak gravitational lensing data. Multi-color, high-resolution HST ACS images allow detection of many more arc candidates than were previously known, especially around the subcluster. Using the known redshift of one of the multiply imaged systems, we determine the remaining source redshifts using the predictive power of the strong lens model. Combining this information with shape measurements of "weakly" lensed sources, we derive a high-resolution, absolutely-calibrated mass map, using no assumptions regarding the physical properties of the underlying cluster potential. This map provides the best available quantification of the total mass of the central part of the cluster. We also confirm the result from Clowe et al. (2004,2006a).Comment: Accepted for publication in ApJ; Version with full-resolution figures available at http://www.slac.stanford.edu/~marusa/Work/bradac_strong_weak_III.pd

Scheme for Universal High-Dimensional Quantum Computation with Linear Optics

Photons are natural carriers of high-dimensional quantum information, and, in principle, can benefit from higher quantum information capacity and noise-resilience. However, schemes to generate the resources required for high-dimensional quantum computing have so far been lacking in linear optics. Here, we show how to generate GHZ states in arbitrary dimensions and numbers of photons using linear optical circuits described by Fourier transform matrices. Combining our results with recent schemes for qudit Bell measurements, we show that universal linear optical quantum computing can be performed in arbitrary dimensions

Operational Concepts for a Generic Space Exploration Communication Network Architecture

This document is one of three. It describes the Operational Concept (OpsCon) for a generic space exploration communication architecture. The purpose of this particular document is to identify communication flows and data types. Two other documents accompany this document, a security policy profile and a communication architecture document. The operational concepts should be read first followed by the security policy profile and then the architecture document. The overall goal is to design a generic space exploration communication network architecture that is affordable, deployable, maintainable, securable, evolvable, reliable, and adaptable. The architecture should also require limited reconfiguration throughout system development and deployment. System deployment includes: subsystem development in a factory setting, system integration in a laboratory setting, launch preparation, launch, and deployment and operation in space

Reconciling disparate information in continuity of care documents: Piloting a system to consolidate structured clinical documents

Background Due to the nature of information generation in health care, clinical documents contain duplicate and sometimes conflicting information. Recent implementation of Health Information Exchange (HIE) mechanisms in which clinical summary documents are exchanged among disparate health care organizations can proliferate duplicate and conflicting information. Materials and methods To reduce information overload, a system to automatically consolidate information across multiple clinical summary documents was developed for an HIE network. The system receives any number of Continuity of Care Documents (CCDs) and outputs a single, consolidated record. To test the system, a randomly sampled corpus of 522 CCDs representing 50 unique patients was extracted from a large HIE network. The automated methods were compared to manual consolidation of information for three key sections of the CCD: problems, allergies, and medications. Results Manual consolidation of 11,631 entries was completed in approximately 150 h. The same data were automatically consolidated in 3.3 min. The system successfully consolidated 99.1% of problems, 87.0% of allergies, and 91.7% of medications. Almost all of the inaccuracies were caused by issues involving the use of standardized terminologies within the documents to represent individual information entries. Conclusion This study represents a novel, tested tool for de-duplication and consolidation of CDA documents, which is a major step toward improving information access and the interoperability among information systems. While more work is necessary, automated systems like the one evaluated in this study will be necessary to meet the informatics needs of providers and health systems in the future

The Giant Chalukou Porphyry Mo Deposit, Northeast China: The Product of a Short-Lived, High Flux Mineralizing Event

Whether giant porphyry ore deposits are the products of single, short-lived magmatic-hydrothermal events or multiple events over a prolonged interval is a topic of considerable debate. Previous studies, however, have all been devoted to porphyry Cu and Cu-Mo deposits. In this paper, we report high-precision isotope dilution-negative-thermal ionization mass spectrometric (ID-N-TIMS) molybdenite Re-Os ages for the newly discovered, world-class Chalukou porphyry Mo deposit (reserves of 2.46 Mt @ 0.087 wt % Mo) in NE China. Samples were selected based on a careful evaluation of the relative timing of the different vein types (i.e., A, B, and D veins), thereby ensuring that the suite of samples analyzed could be used to reliably determine the age and duration of mineralization. The molybdenite Re-Os geochronology reveals that hydrothermal activity at Chalukou involved two magmatic-hydrothermal events spanning an interval of 6.92 ± 0.16 m.y. The first event (153.96 ± 0.08/0.63/0.79 Ma, molybdenite ID-N-TIMS Re-Os age) was associated with the emplacement of a granite porphyry dated at 152.1 ± 2.2 Ma (zircon laser ablation-inductively coupled plasma-microscopic [LA-ICP-MS] U-Pb ages), and led to only minor Mo mineralization, accounting for 90%) was deposited in less than 650 kyr, between 147.67 ± 0.10/0.60/0.76 and 147.04 ± 0.12/0.72/0.86 Ma (molybdenite ID-N-TIMS Re-Os ages), coincident with the emplacement of a fine-grained porphyry at 148.1 ± 2.6 Ma (zircon LA-ICP-MS U-Pb ages). The high-precision Re-Os age determinations presented here show, contrary to the finding of a number of studies of porphyry Cu and Cu-Mo systems, that the giant Chalukou porphyry Mo deposit primarily formed in a single, short-lived (<650 kyr) hydrothermal event, suggesting that this may also have been the case for other giant porphyry Mo deposits