Fourth workshop on Experiments and Detectors for a Relativistic Heavy Ion Collider

We present a description of an experiment which can be used to search for effects of strong electromagnetic fields on the production of e(sup +) e(sup -) pairs in the elastic scattering of two heavy ions at the Relativistic Heavy Ion Collider (RHIC). A very brief discussion of other possible studies of electromagnetic phenomena at RHIC is also presented

Affect, Interpersonal Behaviour and Interpersonal Perception During Open-Label, Uncontrolled Paroxetine Treatment of People with Social Anxiety Disorder: A Pilot Study

Background: Laboratory-based research with community samples has suggested changes in affective, behavioural and cognitive processes as possible explanations for the effects of serotonergic medications. Examining the effects of serotonergic medications using an ecological momentary measure (such as event-contingent recording) in the daily lives of people with social anxiety disorder would contribute to establishing the effects of these medications on affect, behaviour and one form of cognition: perception of others’ behaviour. Methods: The present study assessed changes in affect, interpersonal behaviour and perception of others’ behaviour in adults with social anxiety disorder using ecological momentary assessment at baseline and over 4 months of a single-arm, uncontrolled, open-label trial of treatment with the selective serotonin reuptake inhibitor paroxetine. Results: Anxiety and concurrent depressive symptoms decreased. Participants also reported increased positive and decreased negative affect; increased agreeable and decreased quarrelsome behaviour; increased dominant and decreased submissive behaviour; and increased perception that others behaved agreeably toward them. Moreover, participants demonstrated reduced intraindividual variability in affect, interpersonal behaviour and perception of others’ behaviour. Limitations: Limitations included the lack of a placebo group, the inability to identify the temporal order of changes and the restricted assessment of extreme behaviour. Conclusion: The results of the present study demonstrate changes during pharmacotherapy in the manifestation of affect, interpersonal behaviour and interpersonal perception in the daily lives of people with social anxiety disorder. Given the importance of interpersonal processes to social anxiety disorder, these results may guide future research seeking to clarify mechanisms of action for serotonergic medications

The pathophysiology of migraine: year 2005

Migraine is a complex patholophysiology in which both central and peripheral components of the trigeminal pain pathway probably play a significant role, both in the symptoms and signs of the attack and in the mechanisms of action of antimigraine compounds, such as triptans, which constitute the most important therapy for aborting migraine pain and posses several mechanisms on 5–HT receptor–mediated actions. The experimental neurogenic inflammation model represents a simple procedure to obtain preliminary information on well characterized receptortargeted drugs. The apparent paradox observed with certain drugs that are shown to be effective in this model but not in clinical trials offers the opportunity to better manipulate structure–activity to obtain the best pharmacological profile using an array of experimental models. The observation that nitric oxide donors induce migraine–like pain in migraineours and that nitric oxide plays a pivotal role in the control of several functions in the central nervous system, has prompted the use of such molecules for better understanding the pathophysiology of migraine attacks. A link between central and peripheral components of the trigeminal pain pathway is provided by the observation that cortical spreading depression in the rat activates trigeminovascular afferents and induces a series of cortical meningeal and brainstem events consistent with the development of headache. Studies in humans support the hypothesis that cortical spreading depression underlies migraine.aura. Therefore, tt is possible that visual, motor or sensory aura might be responsible for the generation of the pain through the above mechanism

Passive States for Essential Observers

The aim of this note is to present a unified approach to the results given in \cite{bb99} and \cite{bs04} which also covers examples of models not presented in these two papers (e.g. $d$-dimensional Minkowski space-time for $d\geq 3$). Assuming that a state is passive for an observer travelling along certain (essential) worldlines, we show that this state is invariant under the isometry group, is a KMS-state for the observer at a temperature uniquely determined by the structure constants of the Lie algebra involved and fulfills (a variant of) the Reeh-Schlieder property. Also the modular objects associated to such a state and the observable algebra of an observer are computed and a version of weak locality is examined.Comment: 27 page

Comparison Tools for Assessing the Microgravity Environment of Space Missions, Carriers and Conditions

The microgravity environment of the NASA Shuttles and Russia's Mir space station have been measured by specially designed accelerometer systems. The need for comparisons between different missions, vehicles, conditions, etc. has been addressed by the two new processes described in this paper. The Principal Component Spectral Analysis (PCSA) and Quasi-steady Three-dimensional Histogram QTH techniques provide the means to describe the microgravity acceleration environment of a long time span of data on a single plot. As described in this paper, the PCSA and QTH techniques allow both the range and the median of the microgravity environment to be represented graphically on a single page. A variety of operating conditions may be made evident by using PCSA or QTH plots. The PCSA plot can help to distinguish between equipment operating full time or part time, as well as show the variability of the magnitude and/or frequency of an acceleration source. A QTH plot summarizes the magnitude and orientation of the low-frequency acceleration vector. This type of plot can show the microgravity effects of attitude, altitude, venting, etc

Factors associated with post-arrest withdrawal of life-sustaining therapy.

INTRODUCTION: Most successfully resuscitated cardiac arrest patients do not survive to hospital discharge. Many have withdrawal of life sustaining therapy (WLST) as a result of the perception of poor neurologic prognosis. The characteristics of these patients and differences in their post-arrest care are largely unknown. METHODS: Utilizing the Penn Alliance for Therapeutic Hypothermia Registry, we identified a cohort of 1311 post-arrest patients from 26 hospitals from 2010 to 2014 who remained comatose after return of spontaneous circulation. We stratified patients by whether they had WLST post-arrest and analyzed demographic, arrest, and post-arrest variables. RESULTS: In our cohort, 565 (43%) patients had WLST. In multivariate regression, patients who had WLST were less likely to go to the cardiac catheterization lab (OR 0.40; 95% CI: 0.26-0.62) and had shorter hospital stays (OR 0.93; 95% CI: 0.91-0.95). When multivariate regression was limited to patient demographics and arrest characteristics, patients with WLST were older (OR 1.18; 95% CI: 1.07-1.31 by decade), had a longer arrest duration (OR 1.14; 95% CI: 1.05-1.25 per 10min), more likely to be female (OR: 1.41; 95% CI: 1.01-1.96), and less likely to have a witnessed arrest (OR 0.65; 95% CI: 0.42-0.98). CONCLUSION: Patients with WLST differ in terms of demographic, arrest, and post-arrest characteristics and treatments from those who did not have WLST. Failure to account for this variability could affect both clinical practice and the interpretation of research

How Do Californians Define Safe Sex?

Objectives: We examined definitions of “safe sex” among adults in California, and assessed whether definitions varied by sociodemographic characteristics and sexual behavior. Methods: We analyzed crosssectional data from the “AIDS Knowledge, Attitudes, Beliefs, and Behaviors (KABB) Survey,” a statewide telephone survey of California adults conducted in 2000. Results: The four most common definitions of safe sex were condom use (68.0%), abstinence (31.1%), monogamy (28.4%), and safe partner (18.7%). Definitions were associated with sex, age, race/ethnicity, education, and number of sexual partners in the past 12 months. Conclusions: Most adults defined safe sex in terms of condom use either alone or in conjunction with other methods. Individuals’ definitions were complex and varied across sociodemographic groups which suggest the need for policies and programs which reflect this diversity