High dispersion spectroscopy of two A supergiant systems in the Small Magellanic Cloud with novel properties

We present the results of a spectroscopic investigation of two novel variable bright blue stars in the SMC, OGLE004336.91-732637.7 (SMC-SC3) and the periodically occulted star OGLE004633.76-731204.3 (SMC-SC4), whose photometric properties were reported by Mennickent et al. (2010). High-resolution spectra in the optical and far-UV show that both objects are actually A + B type binaries. Three spectra of SMC-SC4 show radial velocity variations, consistent with the photometric period of 184.26 days found in Mennickent et al. 2010. The optical spectra of the metallic lines in both systems show combined absorption and emission components that imply that they are formed in a flattened envelope. A comparison of the radial velocity variations in SMC-SC4 and the separation of the V and R emission components in the Halpha emission profile indicate that this envelope, and probably also the envelope around SMC-SC3, is a circumbinary disk with a characteristic orbital radius some three times the radius of the binary system. The optical spectra of SMC-SC3 and SMC-SC4 show, respectively, HeI emission lines and discrete Blue Absorption Components (BACs) in metallic lines. The high excitations of the HeI lines in the SMC-SC3 spectrum and the complicated variations of FeII emission and absorption components with orbital phase in the spectrum of SMC-SC4 suggests that shocks occur between the winds and various static regions of the stars' co-rotating binary-disk complexes. We suggest that BACs arise from wind shocks from the A star impacting the circumbinary disk and a stream of former wind-efflux from the B star accreting onto the A star. We dub these objects prototype of a small group of Magellanic Cloud wind-interacting A + B binaries.Comment: To be published in MNRA

Targeted muscle reinnervation for the management of pain in the setting of major limb amputation

The life altering nature of major limb amputations may be further complicated by neuroma formation in up to 60% of the estimated 2 million major limb amputees in the United States. This can be a source of pain and functional limitation of the residual limb. Pain associated with neuromas may limit prosthetic limb use, require reoperation, lead to opioid dependence, and dramatically reduce quality of life. A number of management options have been described including excision alone, excision with repair, excision with transposition, and targeted muscle reinnervation. Targeted muscle reinnervation has been shown to reduce phantom limb and neuroma pain for patients with upper and lower extremity amputations. It may be performed at the time of initial amputation to prevent pain development or secondarily for the treatment of established pain. Encouraging outcomes have been reported, and targeted muscle reinnervation is emerging as a leading surgical technique for pain prevention in patients undergoing major limb amputations and pain management in patients with pre-existing amputations

Phenothiazine-mediated rescue of cognition in tau transgenic mice requires neuroprotection and reduced soluble tau burden

Abstract Background It has traditionally been thought that the pathological accumulation of tau in Alzheimer's disease and other tauopathies facilitates neurodegeneration, which in turn leads to cognitive impairment. However, recent evidence suggests that tau tangles are not the entity responsible for memory loss, rather it is an intermediate tau species that disrupts neuronal function. Thus, efforts to discover therapeutics for tauopathies emphasize soluble tau reductions as well as neuroprotection. Results Here, we found that neuroprotection alone caused by methylene blue (MB), the parent compound of the anti-tau phenothiaziazine drug, Rember™, was insufficient to rescue cognition in a mouse model of the human tauopathy, progressive supranuclear palsy (PSP) and fronto-temporal dementia with parkinsonism linked to chromosome 17 (FTDP17): Only when levels of soluble tau protein were concomitantly reduced by a very high concentration of MB, was cognitive improvement observed. Thus, neurodegeneration can be decoupled from tau accumulation, but phenotypic improvement is only possible when soluble tau levels are also reduced. Conclusions Neuroprotection alone is not sufficient to rescue tau-induced memory loss in a transgenic mouse model. Development of neuroprotective agents is an area of intense investigation in the tauopathy drug discovery field. This may ultimately be an unsuccessful approach if soluble toxic tau intermediates are not also reduced. Thus, MB and related compounds, despite their pleiotropic nature, may be the proverbial "magic bullet" because they not only are neuroprotective, but are also able to facilitate soluble tau clearance. Moreover, this shows that neuroprotection is possible without reducing tau levels. This indicates that there is a definitive molecular link between tau and cell death cascades that can be disrupted.http://deepblue.lib.umich.edu/bitstream/2027.42/78314/1/1750-1326-5-45.xmlhttp://deepblue.lib.umich.edu/bitstream/2027.42/78314/2/1750-1326-5-45.pdfhttp://deepblue.lib.umich.edu/bitstream/2027.42/78314/3/1750-1326-5-45-S1.PDFPeer Reviewe

Precision measurements of the top quark mass from the Tevatron in the pre-LHC era

The top quark is the heaviest of the six quarks of the Standard Model. Precise knowledge of its mass is important for imposing constraints on a number of physics processes, including interactions of the as yet unobserved Higgs boson. The Higgs boson is the only missing particle of the Standard Model, central to the electroweak symmetry breaking mechanism and generation of particle masses. In this Review, experimental measurements of the top quark mass accomplished at the Tevatron, a proton-antiproton collider located at the Fermi National Accelerator Laboratory, are described. Topologies of top quark events and methods used to separate signal events from background sources are discussed. Data analysis techniques used to extract information about the top mass value are reviewed. The combination of several most precise measurements performed with the two Tevatron particle detectors, CDF and \D0, yields a value of \Mt = 173.2 \pm 0.9 GeV/$c^2$.Comment: This version contains the most up-to-date top quark mass averag

Estimated prevalence of exposure to occupational carcinogens in Australia (2011-2012)

Background and objectives: Although past studies of workplace exposures have contributed greatly to our understanding of carcinogens, significant knowledge gaps still exist with regard to the actual extent of exposure among current workers, with no routinely collected population-based data being available in most countries. This study, the Australian Work Exposures Study (AWES), aimed to investigate the current prevalence of occupational exposure to carcinogens. Methods: A random sample of men and women aged between 18 and 65, who were currently in paid employment, were invited to participate in a telephone interview collecting information about their current job and various demographic factors. Interviews were conducted using a web-based application (OccIDEAS). OccIDEAS uses the expert exposure method in which participants are asked about their job tasks and predefined algorithms are used to automatically assign exposures. Responses were obtained from 5023 eligible Australian residents, resulting in an overall response rate of 53%. Results: 1879 respondents (37.6%) were assessed as being exposed to at least one occupational carcinogen in their current job. Extrapolation of these figures to the Australian working population suggested 3.6 million (40.3%) current workers could be exposed to carcinogens in their workplace. Exposure prevalence was highest among farmers, drivers, miners and transport workers, as well as men and those residing in regional areas. Conclusions: This study demonstrates a practical, web-based approach to collecting population information on occupational exposure to carcinogens and documents the high prevalence of current exposure to occupational carcinogens in the general population

Еволюція історичних уявлень про Україну в середньовічній Франції до середини ХVІІ ст.

У статті розглянуто стан ознайомлення французької громадськості ХІ-ХVІІ ст. з Україною, проаналізовано причини цікавості французів до цієї країни на тлі історичних взаємин України та Франції. Автор простежує еволюцію французьких історичних досліджень про Україну у Франції.The author considers the state of acquaintance of the French society of the XVII century with Ukraine, analyses the reasons of the interest the French took in this country on the phone of the historical relations between Ukraine and France and traces the evolution of the French historical studies in Ukraine

The transformation of the business angel market: empirical evidence and research implications

Business angel investing – a key source of finance for entrepreneurial businesses – is rapidly evolving from a fragmented and largely anonymous activity dominated by individuals investing on their own to one that is increasingly characterised by groups of investors investing together through managed angel groups. The implications of this change have been largely ignored by scholars. The paper examines the investment activity and operation of angel groups in Scotland to highlight the implications of this change for the nature of angel investing. It goes on to argue that this transformation challenges both the ongoing relevance of prior research on business angels and current methodological practices, and raises a set of new research questions

Maternal hemoglobin concentration during pregnancy and risk of infant leukaemia: a children's oncology group study

In contrast to the positive association found in three studies between maternal anaemia during pregnancy and childhood leukaemia, no such association was found in infant leukaemia (odds ratio 0.85, 95% confidence interval 0.53–1.37)

Nonlinear Flight Dynamics of Very Flexible Aircraft

Peer Reviewedhttp://deepblue.lib.umich.edu/bitstream/2027.42/77147/1/AIAA-27606-989.pd

Observation of Hadronic W Decays in t-tbar Events with the Collider Detector at Fermilab

We observe hadronic W decays in t-tbar -> W (-> l nu) + >= 4 jet events using a 109 pb-1 data sample of p-pbar collisions at sqrt{s} = 1.8 TeV collected with the Collider Detector at Fermilab (CDF). A peak in the dijet invariant mass distribution is obtained that is consistent with W decay and inconsistent with the background prediction by 3.3 standard deviations. From this peak we measure the W mass to be 77.2 +- 4.6 (stat+syst) GeV/c^2. This result demonstrates the presence of two W bosons in t-tbar candidates in the W (-> l nu) + >= 4 jet channel.Comment: 20 pages, 4 figures, submitted to PR