Biomarkers of exposure to new and emerging tobacco delivery products

Accurate and reliable measurements of exposure to tobacco products are essential for identifying and confirming patterns of tobacco product use and for assessing their potential biological effects in both human populations and experimental systems. Due to the introduction of new tobaccoderived products and the development of novel ways to modify and use conventional tobacco products, precise and specific assessments of exposure to tobacco are now more important than ever. Biomarkers that were developed and validated to measure exposure to cigarettes are being evaluated to assess their use for measuring exposure to these new products. Here, we review current methods for measuring exposure to new and emerging tobacco products, such as electronic cigarettes, little cigars, water pipes, and cigarillos. Rigorously validated biomarkers specific to these new products have not yet been identified. Here, we discuss the strengths and limitations of current approaches, including whether they provide reliable exposure estimates for new and emerging products. We provide specific guidance for choosing practical and economical biomarkers for different study designs and experimental conditions. Our goal is to help both new and experienced investigators measure exposure to tobacco products accurately and avoid common experimental errors. With the identification of the capacity gaps in biomarker research on new and emerging tobacco products, we hope to provide researchers, policymakers, and funding agencies with a clear action plan for conducting and promoting research on the patterns of use and health effects of these products

Maturation in the female eastern king prawn Penaeus plebejus from coastal waters of eastern Australia, and considerations for quantifying egg production in penaeid prawns

The trawl fishery for eastern king prawns, Penaeus plebejus, is of major commercial significance on the east coast of Australia. This paper describes the reproductive biology of female P. plebejus and presents new information relevant to quantifying egg production in penaeid prawn populations. The study concluded that the gonosomatic index (GSI) covaried with prawn size and was, therefore, likely to be a poor indicator of reproductive activity for penaeid prawn populations. GSI was also found to be not independent of ovary histological stage, moult stage, insemination status and parasitisation by bopyrid isopods. An histological description of ovarian development and the incidence of each stage of development is provided. This includes a description of the ovulation stage, which has not been previously recorded in naturally-occurring populations. Fifty percent of female P. plebejus were classed as mature at 42mm CL. The relationships between GSI, percent mature, and percent inseminated with size suggest that there is a decline in the capacity of large (> 60 mm CL) females to produce and fertilise eggs. The declines in both GSI and percent mature is indicative of ovarian senescence in large(o1d) females, which has not been recorded previously in penaeid prawns. An index which considers the relationships between the percent mature, fecundity and the percent inseminated with size, as well as the influence of mortality on the population, is put forward to determine the relative contribution of different size classes of females to egg production. The index suggests that females >50 mm CL contribute little to egg production, and that the bulk of eggs are produced by 35 to 48 mm CL females

Geant4-based Simulation Study of PEP-II Beam Backgrounds in the BABAR Detector at the SLAC B-Factory

To improve the understanding of accelerator-induced backgrounds at the SLAC B-Factory, we simulate lost particle backgrounds in the BABAR detector originating from beam-gas interactions and radiative Bhabha scatters. We have extended the GEANT4-based BABAR detector simulation to include beam-line components and magnetic fields up to 8.5 m away from the interaction point. We describe the simulation model and then compare preliminary predicted background levels with measurements from dedicated single- and colliding-beam experiments

The BaBar detector: Upgrades, operation and performance

Contains fulltext : 121729.pdf (preprint version ) (Open Access

Observation of B meson decays to b(1)pi and b(1)K

We present the results of searches for decays of B mesons to final states with a b(1) meson and a charged pion or kaon. The data, collected with the BABAR detector at the Stanford Linear Accelerator Center, represent 382x10(6) B(B)over bar pairs produced in e(+)e(-) annihilation. The results for the branching fractions are, in units of 10(-6), B(B+ -> b(1)(0)pi(+)) = 6.7 +/- 1.7 +/- 1.0, B(B+ -> b(1)(0)K(+)) = 9.1 +/- 1.7 +/- 1.0, B(B-0 -> b(1)(-/+)pi +/- ) = 10.9 +/- 1.2 +/- 0.9, and B(B-0 -> b(1)(-)K(+)) = 7.4 +/- 1.0 +/- 1.0, with the assumption that B(b(1) -> omega pi) = 1. We also measure charge and flavor asymmetries A(ch)(B+ -> b(1)(0)pi(+)) = 0.05 +/- 0.16 +/- 0.02, A(ch)(B+ -> b(1)(0)K(+)) = -0.46 +/- 0.20 +/- 0.02, A(ch)(B-0 -> b(1)(-/+)pi +/- ) = -0.05 +/- 0.10 +/- 0.02, C(B-0 -> b(1)(-/+)pi +/- ) = -0.22 +/- 0.23 +/- 0.05, Delta C(B-0 -> b(1)(-/+)pi +/- ) = -1.04 +/- 0.23 +/- 0.08, and A(ch)(B-0 -> b(1)(-)K(+)) = -0.07 +/- 0.12 +/- 0.02. The first error quoted is statistical, and the second systematic