Anemia Prevalence among Pregnant Women and Birth Weight in Five Areas in China

Objectives: To investigate the current prevalence of anemia among pregnant women in different areas of China and the association with birth weight and educational level. Methods: A total of 6,413 women aged 24-37 in the third trimester of pregnancy from five areas were randomly selected from all gravidas who gave birth in the hospitals from 1999 to 2003. Blood hemoglobin concentration (Hb) was measured by the cyanomethemoglobin method; Hb <110 g/l was considered as anemia. Results: The overall prevalence of anemia was 58.6%, ranging from 48.1 to 70.5% in the five areas. There was a significant difference in the prevalence of anemia between women who have mental jobs and those who have physical jobs (52.3 vs. 61.1%, p <0.01). The prevalence of anemia depended on the level of education: with 52.9, 62.4 and 66.5%, for college, secondary school and primary education, respectively, and the difference was statistically significant (p = 0.005). Results showed that higher birth weight was associated with Hb concentrations ranging from 90 to 140 g/l, whereas lower birth weight occurred below 80 g/l and above 140 g/l Hb. Conclusions: The prevalence of anemia in Chinese pregnant women was high both in rural areas and towns. Area of residence, education level and type of job influenced the prevalence of anemia. Low maternal Hb concentrations influenced birth weight

Growth, immunity and ammonia excretion of albino and normal Apostichopus japonicus (Selenka) feeding with various experimental diets

An experiment was conducted to evaluate the effects of six experimental diets on growth performance, ammonia excretion and immunity of albino and normal Apostichopus japonicus. A factorial design was used, the factors being type of diets (six levels) and colour of A. japonicus (two levels). A total of 30 randomly selected albino A. japonicus were housed in each (60 × 50 × 30 cm3) of 18 blue plastic aquaria to form six groups in triplicate, and the same set-up was used for the normal A. japonicus. Each group of animals was fed with one of the six experimental diets. Apparent dry matter digestibility (ADMD) and apparent crude protein digestibility (ACPD) were analysed using acid-insoluble ash (AIA) content method. At the end of the experiment, all A. japonicus were harvested and weighed to calculate growth parameters. After weighing, six individuals from each aquarium were randomly sampled for immune indices. Results indicated that all growth parameters of A. japonicus increased with decreasing nutrient content in their diets (p < .01), whereas an opposite result was observed in case of the ammonia-nitrogen production by A. japonicus. Normal A. japonicus grew better (p < .01) and produced lower (p < .01) quantity of ammonia nitrogen compared to the albino A. japonicus. Immunity particularly superoxide dismutase and lysozyme activities was higher (p < .05) in normal compared to albino A. japonicus. Considering all measured variables, D1 (diet containing crude protein, crude lipid, carbohydrate and crude ash 51.8, 8.7, 231.3, 708.2 g/kg, respectively) was the best diet among all experimental diets. More research is still needed to optimize nutrients in the diet of A. japonicus, as this study does not provide information about critical threshold level of nutrients in diets. Until then, diet D1 can be recommended for A. japonicus aquaculture

An Analytic Variational Study of the Mass Spectrum in 2+1 Dimensional SU(3) Hamiltonian Lattice Gauge Theory

We calculate the masses of the lowest lying eigenstates of improved SU(2) and SU(3) lattice gauge theory in 2+1 dimensions using an analytic variational approach. The ground state is approximated by a one plaquette trial state and mass gaps are calculated in the symmetric and antisymmetric sectors by minimising over a suitable basis of rectangular states

Physics of Solar Prominences: I - Spectral Diagnostics and Non-LTE Modelling

This review paper outlines background information and covers recent advances made via the analysis of spectra and images of prominence plasma and the increased sophistication of non-LTE (ie when there is a departure from Local Thermodynamic Equilibrium) radiative transfer models. We first describe the spectral inversion techniques that have been used to infer the plasma parameters important for the general properties of the prominence plasma in both its cool core and the hotter prominence-corona transition region. We also review studies devoted to the observation of bulk motions of the prominence plasma and to the determination of prominence mass. However, a simple inversion of spectroscopic data usually fails when the lines become optically thick at certain wavelengths. Therefore, complex non-LTE models become necessary. We thus present the basics of non-LTE radiative transfer theory and the associated multi-level radiative transfer problems. The main results of one- and two-dimensional models of the prominences and their fine-structures are presented. We then discuss the energy balance in various prominence models. Finally, we outline the outstanding observational and theoretical questions, and the directions for future progress in our understanding of solar prominences.Comment: 96 pages, 37 figures, Space Science Reviews. Some figures may have a better resolution in the published version. New version reflects minor changes brought after proof editin

Limits on anomalous trilinear gauge boson couplings from WW, WZ and Wgamma production in pp-bar collisions at sqrt{s}=1.96 TeV

We present final searches of the anomalous gammaWW and ZWW trilinear gauge boson couplings from WW and WZ production using lepton plus dijet final states and a combination with results from Wgamma, WW, and WZ production with leptonic final states. The analyzed data correspond to up to 8.6/fb of integrated luminosity collected by the D0 detector in pp-bar collisions at sqrt{s}=1.96 TeV. We set the most stringent limits at a hadron collider to date assuming two different relations between the anomalous coupling parameters Delta\kappa_\gamma, lambda, and Delta g_1^Z for a cutoff energy scale Lambda=2 TeV. The combined 68% C.L. limits are -0.057<Delta\kappa_\gamma<0.154, -0.015<lambda<0.028, and -0.008<Delta g_1^Z<0.054 for the LEP parameterization, and -0.007<Delta\kappa<0.081 and -0.017<lambda<0.028 for the equal couplings parameterization. We also present the most stringent limits of the W boson magnetic dipole and electric quadrupole moments.Comment: 10 pages, 5 figures, submitted to PL

Measurement of the photon+b+b-jet production differential cross section in ppˉp\bar{p} collisions at \sqrt{s}=1.96~\TeV

We present measurements of the differential cross section dsigma/dpT_gamma for the inclusive production of a photon in association with a b-quark jet for photons with rapidities |y_gamma|< 1.0 and 30<pT_gamma <300 GeV, as well as for photons with 1.5<|y_gamma|< 2.5 and 30< pT_gamma <200 GeV, where pT_gamma is the photon transverse momentum. The b-quark jets are required to have pT>15 GeV and rapidity |y_jet| < 1.5. The results are based on data corresponding to an integrated luminosity of 8.7 fb^-1, recorded with the D0 detector at the Fermilab Tevatron $p\bar{p}$ Collider at sqrt(s)=1.96 TeV. The measured cross sections are compared with next-to-leading order perturbative QCD calculations using different sets of parton distribution functions as well as to predictions based on the kT-factorization QCD approach, and those from the Sherpa and Pythia Monte Carlo event generators.Comment: 10 pages, 9 figures, submitted to Phys. Lett.

Search for pair production of the scalar top quark in muon+tau final states

We present a search for the pair production of scalar top quarks ($\tilde{t}_{1}$), the lightest supersymmetric partners of the top quarks, in $p\bar{p}$ collisions at a center-of-mass energy of 1.96 TeV, using data corresponding to an integrated luminosity of {7.3 $fb^{-1}$} collected with the \dzero experiment at the Fermilab Tevatron Collider. Each scalar top quark is assumed to decay into a $b$ quark, a charged lepton, and a scalar neutrino ($\tilde{\nu}$). We investigate final states arising from $\tilde{t}_{1} \bar{\tilde{t}_{1}} \rightarrow b\bar{b}\mu\tau \tilde{\nu} \tilde{\nu}$ and $\tilde{t}_{1} \bar{\tilde{t}_{1}} \rightarrow b\bar{b}\tau\tau \tilde{\nu} \tilde{\nu}$. With no significant excess of events observed above the background expected from the standard model, we set exclusion limits on this production process in the ($m_{\tilde{t}_{1}}$,$m_{\tilde{\nu}}$) plane.Comment: Submitted to Phys. Lett.

Evidence of Color Coherence Effects in W+jets Events from ppbar Collisions at sqrt(s) = 1.8 TeV

We report the results of a study of color coherence effects in ppbar collisions based on data collected by the D0 detector during the 1994-1995 run of the Fermilab Tevatron Collider, at a center of mass energy sqrt(s) = 1.8 TeV. Initial-to-final state color interference effects are studied by examining particle distribution patterns in events with a W boson and at least one jet. The data are compared to Monte Carlo simulations with different color coherence implementations and to an analytic modified-leading-logarithm perturbative calculation based on the local parton-hadron duality hypothesis.Comment: 13 pages, 6 figures. Submitted to Physics Letters

Search for Higgs bosons decaying to tautau pairs in ppbar collisions at sqrt(s) = 1.96 TeV

We present a search for the production of neutral Higgs bosons decaying into tautau pairs in ppbar collisions at a center-of-mass energy of 1.96 TeV. The data, corresponding to an integrated luminosity of 5.4 fb-1, were collected by the D0 experiment at the Fermilab Tevatron Collider. We set upper limits at the 95% C.L. on the product of production cross section and branching ratio for a scalar resonance decaying into tautau pairs, and we then interpret these limits as limits on the production of Higgs bosons in the minimal supersymmetric standard model (MSSM) and as constraints in the MSSM parameter space.Comment: 7 pages, 5 figures, submitted to PL

Search for the standard model Higgs boson in tau final states

We present a search for the standard model Higgs boson using hadronically decaying tau leptons, in 1 inverse femtobarn of data collected with the D0 detector at the Fermilab Tevatron ppbar collider. We select two final states: tau plus missing transverse energy and b jets, and tau+ tau- plus jets. These final states are sensitive to a combination of associated W/Z boson plus Higgs boson, vector boson fusion and gluon-gluon fusion production processes. The observed ratio of the combined limit on the Higgs production cross section at the 95% C.L. to the standard model expectation is 29 for a Higgs boson mass of 115 GeV.Comment: publication versio