Prediction of residual retroperitoneal mass histology after chemotherapy for metastatic nonseminomatous germ cell tumor: multivariate analysis of individual patient data from six study groups.

PURPOSE: To develop a statistical model that predicts the histology (necrosis, mature teratoma, or cancer) after chemotherapy for metastatic nonseminomatous germ cell tumor (NSGCT). PATIENTS AND METHODS: An international data set was collected comprising individual patient data from six study groups. Logistic regression analysis was used to estimate the probability of necrosis and th

Measurement of single-spin azimuthal asymmetries in semi-inclusive electroproduction of pions and kaons on a longitudinally polarised deuterium target

Single-spin asymmetries have been measured for semi-inclusive electroproduction of $\pi^+$, $\pi^-$, $\pi^0$ and $K^+$ mesons in deep-inelastic scattering off a longitudinally polarised deuterium target. The asymmetries appear in the distribution of the hadrons in the azimuthal angle $\phi$ around the virtual photon direction, relative to the lepton scattering plane. The corresponding analysing powers in the $\sin \phi$ moment of the cross section are $0.012 \pm 0.002 {(stat.)} \pm 0.002 {(syst.)}$ for $\pi^+$, $0.006 \pm 0.003 {(stat.)} \pm 0.002 {(syst.)}$ for $\pi^-$, $0.021 \pm 0.005 {(stat.)} \pm 0.003 {(syst.)}$ for $\pi^0$ and $0.013 \pm 0.006 {(stat.)} \pm 0.003 {(syst.)}$ for $K^+$. The $\sin 2\phi$ moments are compatible with zero for all particles.Comment: Revised version shortened 9 pages, 3 tables, 7 figure

Subleading-twist effects in single-spin asymmetries in semi-inclusive deep-inelastic scattering on a longitudinally polarized hydrogen target

Single-spin asymmetries in the semi-inclusive production of charged pions in deep-inelastic scattering from transversely and longitudinally polarized proton targets are combined to evaluate the subleading-twist contribution to the longitudinal case. This contribution is significantly positive for (\pi^+) mesons and dominates the asymmetries on a longitudinally polarized target previously measured by \hermes. The subleading-twist contribution for (\pi^-) mesons is found to be small

Search for jet extinction in the inclusive jet-pT spectrum from proton-proton collisions at s=8 TeV

Published by the American Physical Society under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution 3.0 License. Further distribution of this work must maintain attribution to the author(s) and the published articles title, journal citation, and DOI.The first search at the LHC for the extinction of QCD jet production is presented, using data collected with the CMS detector corresponding to an integrated luminosity of 10.7  fb−1 of proton-proton collisions at a center-of-mass energy of 8 TeV. The extinction model studied in this analysis is motivated by the search for signatures of strong gravity at the TeV scale (terascale gravity) and assumes the existence of string couplings in the strong-coupling limit. In this limit, the string model predicts the suppression of all high-transverse-momentum standard model processes, including jet production, beyond a certain energy scale. To test this prediction, the measured transverse-momentum spectrum is compared to the theoretical prediction of the standard model. No significant deficit of events is found at high transverse momentum. A 95% confidence level lower limit of 3.3 TeV is set on the extinction mass scale

Searches for electroweak neutralino and chargino production in channels with Higgs, Z, and W bosons in pp collisions at 8 TeV

Searches for supersymmetry (SUSY) are presented based on the electroweak pair production of neutralinos and charginos, leading to decay channels with Higgs, Z, and W bosons and undetected lightest SUSY particles (LSPs). The data sample corresponds to an integrated luminosity of about 19.5 fb(-1) of proton-proton collisions at a center-of-mass energy of 8 TeV collected in 2012 with the CMS detector at the LHC. The main emphasis is neutralino pair production in which each neutralino decays either to a Higgs boson (h) and an LSP or to a Z boson and an LSP, leading to hh, hZ, and ZZ states with missing transverse energy (E-T(miss)). A second aspect is chargino-neutralino pair production, leading to hW states with E-T(miss). The decays of a Higgs boson to a bottom-quark pair, to a photon pair, and to final states with leptons are considered in conjunction with hadronic and leptonic decay modes of the Z and W bosons. No evidence is found for supersymmetric particles, and 95% confidence level upper limits are evaluated for the respective pair production cross sections and for neutralino and chargino mass values

Personality Profiles Are Associated with Functional Brain Networks Related to Cognition and Emotion

Contains fulltext : 196249.pdf (publisher's version ) (Open Access)Personality factors as defined by the "five-factor model" are some of the most investigated characteristics that underlie various types of complex behavior. These are, however, often investigated as isolated traits that are conceptually independent, yet empirically are typically strongly related to each other. We apply Independent Component Analysis to these personality factors as measured by the NEO-FFI in 471 healthy subjects from the Human Connectome Project to investigate independent personality profiles that incorporate all five original factors. Subsequently we examine how these profiles are related to patterns of resting-state brain activity in specific networks-of-interest related to cognition and emotion. We find that a personality profile of contrasting openness and agreeableness is associated with engagement of a subcortical-medial prefrontal network and the dorsolateral prefrontal cortex. Likewise, a profile of contrasting extraversion and conscientiousness is associated with activity in the precuneus. This study shows a novel approach to investigating personality and how it is related to patterns of activity in the resting brain

Bilateral ECT induces bilateral increases in regional cortical thickness

Electroconvulsive therapy (ECT) is the most effective treatment for patients suffering from severe or treatment-resistant major depressive disorder (MDD). Unfortunately its underlying neurobiological mechanisms are still unclear. One line of evidence indicates that the seizures produced by ECT induce or stimulate neuroplasticity effects. Although these seizures also affect the cortex, the effect of ECT on cortical thickness is not investigated until now. We acquired structural magnetic resonance imaging data in 19 treatment-resistant MDD patients before and after a bilateral ECT course, and 16 healthy controls at 2 time points, and compared changes in cortical thickness between the groups. Our results reveal that ECT induces significant, bilateral increases in cortical thickness, including the temporal pole, inferior and middle temporal cortex and the insula. The pattern of increased cortical thickness was predominant in regions that are associated with seizure onset in ECT. Post hoc analyses showed that the increase in thickness of the insular cortex was larger in responders than in non-responders, which may point to a specific relationship of this region with treatment effects of ECT

Deciphering the Growth Behaviour of Mycobacterium africanum

10.1371/journal.pntd.0002220PLoS Neglected Tropical Diseases75e222

Longitudinal effects of rTMS on neuroplasticity in chronic treatment-resistant depression

Contains fulltext : 219593.pdf (publisher's version ) (Open Access)Major depressive disorder (MDD) is amongst the most prevalent of psychiatric disorders. Unfortunately, a third of patients will not respond to conventional treatments and suffer from treatment-resistant depression (TRD). Repetitive transcranial magnetic stimulation (rTMS) has been proven effective in treating TRD. The research suggests that rTMS acts via neuroplastic effects on the brain, which can be measured by changes in hippocampal and amygdala volume as well as cortical thickness. This sham-controlled study investigates longitudinal effects of rTMS on the volumes of the hippocampus and amygdala and cortical thickness in patients with chronic TRD. 31 patients received 20 sessions of high-frequency rTMS (N = 15) or sham treatment (N = 16) over the left dorsolateral prefrontal cortex during 4 consecutive weeks. Using structural magnetic resonance imaging, we investigated longitudinal treatment effects on hippocampus and amygdala volume as well as thickness of the paralimbic cortex. We found no clinical differences between the active and sham rTMS group. Longitudinal changes in hippocampal and amygdala volume did not differ significantly, although males showed a significant decrease in left amygdala volume, irrespective of treatment group. Changes in cortical thickness of the paralimbic cortex differed significantly between the active and sham groups. Most notably, the increase in cortical thickness of the isthmus of the left cingulate gyrus was greater in the active as compared to the sham rTMS group. Our data suggest that rTMS can induce neuroplastic changes, particularly in cortical thickness, independent of treatment response. We also found longitudinal changes in amygdala volume in males. For clinical effects to follow these neuroplastic effects, more intensive rTMS treatment might be needed in chronically depressed patients.9 p