2,808 research outputs found
C1 inhibitor deficiency: 2014 United Kingdom consensus document
C1 inhibitor deficiency is a rare disorder manifesting with recurrent attacks of disabling and potentially life-threatening angioedema. Here we present an updated 2014 United Kingdom consensus document for the management of C1 inhibitor-deficient patients, representing a joint venture between the United Kingdom Primary Immunodeficiency Network and Hereditary Angioedema UK. To develop the consensus, we assembled a multi-disciplinary steering group of clinicians, nurses and a patient representative. This steering group first met in 2012, developing a total of 48 recommendations across 11 themes. The statements were distributed to relevant clinicians and a representative group of patients to be scored for agreement on a Likert scale. All 48 statements achieved a high degree of consensus, indicating strong alignment of opinion. The recommendations have evolved significantly since the 2005 document, with particularly notable developments including an improved evidence base to guide dosing and indications for acute treatment, greater emphasis on home therapy for acute attacks and a strong focus on service organisation. This article is protected by copyright. All rights reserved
Measurement of complex fragments and clues to the entropy production from 42-137-MeV/nucleon Ar + Au
Intermediate-rapidity fragments with A=1-14 emitted from 42-137-MeV/nucleon Ar + Au have been measured. Evidence is presented that these fragments arise from a common moving source. Entropy values are extracted from the mass distributions by use of quantum statistical and Hauser-Feshbach theories. The extracted entropy values of S/A≈2-2.4 are much smaller than the values expected from measured deuteron-to-proton ratios, but are still considerably higher than theoretically predicted values
Implications of new measurements of O-16 + p + C-12,13, N-14,15 for the abundances of C, N isotopes at the cosmic ray source
The fragmentation of a 225 MeV/n O-16 beam was investigated at the Bevalac. Preliminary cross sections for mass = 13, 14, 15 fragments are used to constrain the nuclear excitation functions employed in galactic propagation calculations. Comparison to cosmic ray isotonic data at low energies shows that in the cosmic ray source C-13/C approximately 2% and N-14/0=3-6%. No source abundance of N-15 is required with the current experimental results
Metal-Insulator oscillations in a Two-dimensional Electron-Hole system
The electrical transport properties of a bipolar InAs/GaSb system have been
studied in magnetic field. The resistivity oscillates between insulating and
metallic behaviour while the quantum Hall effect shows a digital character
oscillating from 0 to 1 conducatance quantum e^2/h. The insulating behaviour is
attributed to the formation of a total energy gap in the system. A novel looped
edge state picture is proposed associated with the appearance of a voltage
between Hall probes which is symmetric on magnetic field reversal.Comment: 4 pages, 5 Postscript figures: revised versio
The resurrection of group selection as a theory of human cooperation
Two books edited by members of the MacArthur Norms and Preferences Network (an interdisciplinary group, mainly anthropologists and economists) are reviewed here. These books in large part reflect a renewed interest in group selection
that has occurred among these researchers: they promote the theory that human cooperative behavior evolved via selective processes which favored biological and/or cultural group-level adaptations as opposed to individual-level adaptations. In support of this theory, an impressive collection of cross-cultural data are presented which suggest that participants in experimental economic games often do not behave as self-interested income maximizers; this lack of self-interest is regarded as evidence of group selection. In this review, problems with these data and with the theory are discussed. On the data side, it is argued that even if a behavior seems individually-maladaptive in a game context, there is no reason to believe that it would have been that way in ancestral contexts, since the environments of experimental games do not at all resemble those in which ancestral humans would have interacted cooperatively. And on the theory side, it is argued that it is premature to invoke group selection in order to explain human cooperation, because more parsimonious individual-level theories have not yet been exhausted. In summary, these books represent ambitious interdisciplinary contributions on an important topic, and they include unique and useful data; however, they do not make a convincing case that the evolution of human cooperation required group selection
Semapimod Sensitizes Glioblastoma Tumors to Ionizing Radiation by Targeting Microglia
Glioblastoma is the most malignant and lethal form of astrocytoma, with patients having a median survival time of approximately 15 months with current therapeutic modalities. It is therefore important to identify novel therapeutics. There is mounting evidence that microglia (specialized brain-resident macrophages) play a significant role in the development and progression of glioblastoma tumors. In this paper we show that microglia, in addition to stimulating glioblastoma cell invasion, also promote glioblastoma cell proliferation and resistance to ionizing radiation in vitro. We found that semapimod, a drug that selectively interferes with the function of macrophages and microglia, potently inhibits microglia-stimulated GL261 invasion, without affecting serum-stimulated glioblastoma cell invasion. Semapimod also inhibits microglia-stimulated resistance of glioblastoma cells to radiation, but has no significant effect on microglia-stimulated glioblastoma cell proliferation. We also found that intracranially administered semapimod strongly increases the survival of GL261 tumor-bearing animals in combination with radiation, but has no significant benefit in the absence of radiation. In conclusion, our observations indicate that semapimod sensitizes glioblastoma tumors to ionizing radiation by targeting microglia and/or infiltrating macrophages
The First Very Long Baseline Interferometric SETI Experiment
The first Search for Extra-Terrestrial Intelligence (SETI) conducted with
Very Long Baseline Interferometry (VLBI) is presented. By consideration of the
basic principles of interferometry, we show that VLBI is efficient at
discriminating between SETI signals and human generated radio frequency
interference (RFI). The target for this study was the star Gliese 581, thought
to have two planets within its habitable zone. On 2007 June 19, Gliese 581 was
observed for 8 hours at 1230-1544 with the Australian Long Baseline Array. The
dataset was searched for signals appearing on all interferometer baselines
above five times the noise limit. A total of 222 potential SETI signals were
detected and by using automated data analysis techniques, were ruled out as
originating from the Gliese 581 system. From our results we place an upper
limit of 7 MW/Hz on the power output of any isotropic emitter located in the
Gliese 581 system, within this frequency range. This study shows that VLBI is
ideal for targeted SETI, including follow-up observations. The techniques
presented are equally applicable to next-generation interferometers, such as
the long baselines of the Square Kilometre Array (SKA).Comment: 34 pages, 6 figures, 2 tables. Accepted on 25/05/2012 for publication
in The Astronomical Journa
Radial Flow in Au+Au Collisions at E=0.25-1.15 A GeV
A systematic study of energy spectra for light particles emitted at
midrapidity from Au+Au collisions at E=0.25-1.15 A GeV reveals a significant
non-thermal component consistent with a collective radial flow. This component
is evaluated as a function of bombarding energy and event centrality.
Comparisons to Quantum Molecular Dynamics (QMD) and Boltzmann-Uehling-Uhlenbeck
(BUU) models are made for different equations of state.Comment: 10 pages of text and 4 figures (all ps files in a uuencoded package)
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