Constraints on Muon Decay Parameters from Neutrino Mass

We derive model-independent constraints on chirality-changing terms in the muon decay Lagrangian using limits on neutrino mass. We consider all dimension-six operators invariant under the gauge symmetry of the Standard Model which contribute to either a Dirac neutrino mass or muon decay. Taking an upper limit on neutrino mass of 1 eV, we derive limits on the contributions of chirality-changing operators to the Michel parameters four orders of magnitude tighter than the current experimental constraints. We also identify two operators which, due to their flavor structure, are not constrained by neutrino mass. If near-future experiments find contributions to muon decay from these operators, it could indicate interesting flavor structure in physics beyond the SM.Comment: 4 pages, contribution to the proceedings of CIPANP 2006 (May 30-June 3, 2006), Rio Grande, Puerto Ric

The Residual Income Approach to Housing Affordability: The Theory and the Practice

The residual income approach to housing affordability is one that looks at what different household types can afford to spend on housing after taking into account the other necessary expenditures of living. It is an alternative to benchmark measures of affordability as used in social housing rent setting in Australia (the 25% rule) or assessing the overall affordability in the wider housing market (the 30/40 rule) as commonly used by a range of housing affordability researchers in Australia. This Positioning Paper does two things. Part A provides an overview, using existing literature, of the various semantic, substantive and definitional issues around the notion of affordability, leading to an argument in support of the soundness of the residual income approach. This overview is set in the historical contexts of discussions about affordability measures in the US, UK and Australia. Part B is methodological; it shows for various household types and income ranges, both for home purchase and rental, how the residual income method can be operationalised and its potential policy applications. This is still work in progress and there may be minor refinements to the method by the time of the production of the Final Report. However, we are confident that the method is sufficiently robust at this point to indicate its substantial potential as a problem identification and policy tool

The Residual Income Method: A New Lens on Housing Affordability and Market Behaviour

This study was designed to explore the viability of an alternative method of measuring affordability (the residual income method) to that of the ubiquitous 30 per cent benchmark method and to use this alternative method for enriching understanding around a range of affordability and housing market issues. The work has been exploratory but it does reveal both the potential and the limitations of the method. Put simply, the residual income method calculates how much is left over for housing rents or mortgage after relevant expenditure items for different household types have been taken into account. If there is insufficient left for rents and mortgages after meeting this budget standard, a household has an affordability problem. The basis for formulating such a measure for Australia was enabled by the development of indicative budget standards by the Social Policy Research Centre (SPRC) at the University of New South Wales (Saunders et al. 1998). They established a low cost budget standard (LCBS) and a modest cost budget standard (MCBS); the former might be seen as a minimum level of consumption in contemporary Australia, while the latter allows for a comfortable but far from luxurious lifestyle. Both have been used in this study, but with most emphasis on the LCBS, and have been indexed to relevant years by a composite index of the CPI minus housing component and of disposable Income. This Final Report is not an exhaustive treatment of the residual income method but is designed to illustrate its potential, relative to benchmark methods, for understanding a number of housing affordability related issues. And, while the subject matter could potentially be quite technical and detailed, the report aims to minimise the detail and concentrate on understanding and exemplification. The report has a number of objectives: 1. Use the residual income method to calculate the distribution of housing affordability in Australia in aggregate and for individual household types by tenure, income, state and other relevant variables in order to get some assessment of the scale and distribution of residual income affordability. This includes comparison with the ratio method, either the aggregate 30 per cent measure or the more targeted 30/40 ratio, that is, 30 per cent for the lowest 40 per cent of income earners. 2. Compare these aggregate Australian findings with those for the USA, as representing a form of benchmark to assess how badly or well Australia performs in terms of affordability. 3. Model the affordability capacity of case study households (single person, couple with two children) across a broad income range to provide a better understanding of how affordability constraints, as indicated by the residual income method, are potentially shaping the operation of housing markets. 4. Illustrate using the Melbourne and Adelaide home purchase markets what the residual income method suggests about the performance of these housing markets in terms of affordability. 5. Illustrate using the Melbourne rental market what the residual income method suggests about the performance of this housing market and associated submarkets in terms of affordability. 6. Test the appropriateness of the residual income method for social and affordable housing rent-setting policy and eligibility practices

The Residual Income Approach to Housing Affordability: The Theory and the Practice

The residual income approach to housing affordability is one that looks at what different household types can afford to spend on housing after taking into account the other necessary expenditures of living. It is an alternative to benchmark measures of affordability as used in social housing rent setting in Australia (the 25% rule) or assessing the overall affordability in the wider housing market (the 30/40 rule) as commonly used by a range of housing affordability researchers in Australia. This Positioning Paper does two things. Part A provides an overview, using existing literature, of the various semantic, substantive and definitional issues around the notion of affordability, leading to an argument in support of the soundness of the residual income approach. This overview is set in the historical contexts of discussions about affordability measures in the US, UK and Australia. Part B is methodological; it shows for various household types and income ranges, both for home purchase and rental, how the residual income method can be operationalised and its potential policy applications. This is still work in progress and there may be minor refinements to the method by the time of the production of the Final Report. However, we are confident that the method is sufficiently robust at this point to indicate its substantial potential as a problem identification and policy tool

Phase 1 clinical trial evaluating safety, bioavailability, and gut microbiome with a combination of curcumin and ursolic acid in lipid enhanced capsules

A natural product library screen identified a synergistic combination of curcumin and ursolic acid as a nutraceutical option for treating prostate cancer. Subsequent in vitro and in vivo testing showed substantial promise in the combination which deemed it ready for human translation. However, poor bioavailability has prevented this combination from impacting cancer therapy. A novel formulation for ursolic acid and curcumin was developed by (1) attempting to increase dissolution rates with a reduced particle size and (2) enhancing solubility with lipid-based formulations. A hot-melt rotating disk process prepared the active compounds in the lipid-based microsphere formulations. The formulations were then optimized based on both solubility and process yield with available excipients. Our target was 1200mg/day of curcumin and 300mg/day of ursolic acid. A phase 1 clinical trial design was performed by sequentially enrolling three groups (curcumin, ursolic acid, and combination). Healthy patients were recruited without a history of prostate cancer. Blood was collected for bioavailability measurements and rectal swabs for gut microbiome analysis at baseline, 6 hours, 24 hours, and two weeks post supplementation intake. The primary outcome was safety using Common Terminology Criteria for Adverse Events (CTCAE v.4.03). Mass spectroscopy measured the bioavailability of the active parent compounds in blood. Lastly, we used 16s V1-2/3-4 RNA sequencing to measure the effects on the human gut microbiome. The results indicate that lipid-enhanced ursolic acid and curcumin are safe and well-tolerated. However, renal function was identified as a laboratory value that should be monitored with future studies evaluating this combination. Curcumin improved the bioavailability of ursolic acid when given in combination. The presence of ursolic acid did not appear to alter blood levels of curcumin or its metabolites. Thus, a potential mechanism for synergistic effects of the combination may involve increased bioavailability of ursolic acid. The combination also altered the microbiome favoring the production of the B vitamin biotin, a cofactor in immune regulation and a feature associated with lower prostate cancer risk. In conclusion, a combination of ursolic acid and curcumin is safe and should be evaluated in Phase II clinical trials for possible treatment of prostate cancer.Pharmaceutical Science

Orchestrated increase of dopamine and PARK mRNAs but not miR-133b in dopamine neurons in Parkinson's disease

AbstractProgressive loss of substantia nigra dopamine neurons (SN DA) is a hallmark of aging and of Parkinson's disease (PD). Mutations in PARK genes cause familial PD forms. Increased expression of alpha-synuclein (PARK4) is a disease-triggering event in familial PD and also observed in SN DA neurons in sporadic PD but related transcriptional changes are unknown. With optimized single-cell quantitative real-time polymerase chain reaction analysis, we compared messenger RNA and microRNA levels in SN DA neurons from sporadic PD patients and controls. Non-optimally matched donor ages and RNA integrities are common problems when analyzing human samples. We dissected the influence of distinct ages and RNA integrities of our samples by applying a specifically-optimized, linear-mixed-effects model to quantitative real-time polymerase chain reaction-data. We identified that elevated alpha-synuclein messenger RNA levels in SN DA neurons of human PD brains were positively correlated with corresponding elevated levels of mRNAs for functional compensation of progressive SN DA loss and for enhanced proteasomal (PARK5/UCHL1) and lysosomal (PARK9/ATPase13A2) function, possibly counteracting alpha-synuclein toxicity. In contrast, microRNA miR-133b levels, previously implicated in transcriptional dysregulation in PD, were not altered in SN DA neurons in PD

Virtual reality suturing task as an objective test for robotic experience assessment

BackgroundWe performed a pilot study using a single virtual-simulation suturing module as an objective measurement to determine functional use of the robotic system. This study will assist in designing a study for an objective, adjunctive test for use by a surgical proctor.MethodsAfter IRB approval, subjects were recruited at a robotic renal surgery course to perform two attempts of the "Tubes" module without warm-up using the Da Vinci® Surgical Skills Simulator™. The overall MScore (%) from the simulator was compared among various skill levels to provide construct validity. Correlation with MScore and number of robotic cases was performed and pre-determined skill groups were tested. Nine metrics that make up the overall score were also tested via paired t test and subsequent logistic regression to determine which skills differed among experienced and novice robotic surgeons.ResultsWe enrolled 38 subjects with experience ranging from 0- < 200 robotic cases. Median time to complete both tasks was less than 10 min. The MScore on the first attempt was correlated to the number of previous robotic cases (R(2) = 0.465; p = 0.003). MScore was different between novice and more experienced robotic surgeons on the first (44.7 vs. 63.9; p = 0.005) and second attempt (56.0 vs. 69.9; p = 0.037).ConclusionA single virtual simulator exercise can provide objective information in determining proficient use of the robotic surgical system