Lattice dynamics and phonon softening in Ni-Mn-Al Heusler alloys

Inelastic and elastic neutron scattering have been used to study a single crystal of the Ni$_{54}$Mn$_{23}$Al$_{23}$ Heusler alloy over a broad temperature range. The paper reports the first experimental determination of the low-lying phonon dispersion curves for this alloy system. We find that the frequencies of the TA$_2$ modes are relatively low. This branch exhibits an anomaly (dip) at a wave number $\xi_{0} ={1/3}\approx 0.33$, which softens with decreasing temperature. Associated with this anomalous dip at $\xi_{0}$, an elastic central peak scattering is also present. We have also observed satellites due to the magnetic ordering.Comment: 6 pages, 6 figures. Accepted for publication in the Physical Review

Supersymmetry in Slow Motion

We construct new theories of electroweak symmetry breaking that employ a combination of supersymmetry and discrete symmetries to stabilize the weak scale up to and beyond the energies probed by the LHC. These models exhibit conventional supersymmetric spectra but the fermion-sfermion-gaugino vertices are absent. This closes many conventional decay channels, thereby allowing several superpartners to be stable on collider time scales. This opens the door to the possibility of directly observing R-hadrons and three flavors of sleptons inside the LHC detectors.Comment: A reference added. The discussion on the Higgs sector expanded. The version accepted for publication in JHE

Highly Accurate Diagnosis of Pleural Tuberculosis by Immunological Analysis of the Pleural Effusion

Pleural TB is notoriously difficult to diagnose due to its paucibacillary nature yet it is the most common cause of pleural effusions in TB endemic countries such as The Gambia. We identified both cellular and soluble biomarkers in the pleural fluid that allowed highly accurate diagnosis of pleural TB compared to peripheral blood markers. Multi-plex cytokine analysis on unstimulated pleural fluid showed that IP-10 resulted in a positive likelihood ratio (LR) of 9.6 versus 2.8 for IFN-γ; a combination of IP-10, IL-6 and IL-10 resulted in an AUC of 0.96 and positive LR of 10. A striking finding was the significantly higher proportion of PPD-specific IFN-γ+TNF-α+ cell population (PPD-IGTA) in the pleural fluid compared to peripheral blood of TB subjects. Presence of this pleural PPD-IGTA population resulted in 95% correct classification of pleural TB disease with a sensitivity of 95% and specificity of 100%. These data suggest that analysis of the site of infection provides superior diagnostic accuracy compared to peripheral blood for pleural TB, likely due to the sequestration of effector cells at this acute stage of disease

In-hospital outcome of patients with culture-confirmed tuberculous pleurisy: clinical impact of pulmonary involvement

<p>Abstract</p> <p>Background</p> <p>Outcomes for hospitalized patients with tuberculous pleurisy (TP) have rarely been reported, and whether or not pulmonary involvement affects outcomes is uncertain. This study aimed to analyze the in-hospital mortality rate of culture-confirmed TP with an emphasis on the clinical impact of pulmonary involvement.</p> <p>Methods</p> <p>Patients who were hospitalized for pleural effusion (PE) of unconfirmed diagnosis and finally diagnosed as TP were identified. We classified them according to the disease extent: isolated pleurisy (isolated pleurisy group) and pleurisy with pulmonary involvement (pleuro-pulmonary group).</p> <p>Results</p> <p>Among the 205 patients hospitalized before the diagnosis was established, 51 (24.9%) belonged to the isolated pleurisy group. Compared to the pleuro-pulmonary group, patients in the isolated pleurisy group were younger, had fewer underlying co-morbidities, and presented more frequently with fever and chest pain. Fewer patients in the isolated pleurisy group had hypoalbuminemia (< 3.5 g/dL) and anemia. The two groups were similar with regards to PE analysis, resistance pattern, and timing of anti-tuberculous treatment. Patients who had a typical pathology of TP on pleural biopsy received anti-tuberculous treatment earlier than those who did not, and were all alive at discharge. The isolated pleurisy group had a lower in-hospital mortality rate, a shorter length of hospital stay and better short-term survival. In addition, the presence of underlying comorbidities and not receiving anti-tuberculous treatment were associated with a higher in-hospital mortality rate.</p> <p>Conclusion</p> <p>In culture-confirmed tuberculous pleurisy, those with pulmonary involvement were associated with a higher in-hospital mortality rate. A typical pathology for TP on pleura biopsy was associated with a better outcome.</p

Frequency, course and correlates of alcohol use from adolescence to young adulthood in a Swiss community survey

BACKGROUND: Few studies have analyzed the frequency of alcohol use across time from adolescence to young adulthood and its outcome in young adulthood. A Swiss longitudinal multilevel assessment project using various measures of psychopathology and psychosocial variables allowed for the study of the frequency and correlates of alcohol use so that this developmental trajectory may be better understood. METHOD: Alcohol use was studied by a questionnaire in a cohort of N = 593 subjects who had been assessed at three times between adolescence and young adulthood within the Zurich Psychology and Psychopathology Study (ZAPPS). Other assessment included questionnaire data measuring emotional and behavioural problems, life events, coping style, self-related cognitions, perceived parenting style and school environment, and size and efficiency of the social network. RESULTS: The increase of alcohol use from early adolescence to young adulthood showed only a few sex-specific differences in terms of the amount of alcohol consumption and the motives to drink. In late adolescence and young adulthood, males had a higher amount of alcohol consumption and were more frequently looking for drunkenness and feeling high. Males also experienced more negative consequences of alcohol use. A subgroup of heavy or problem drinkers showed a large range of emotional and behavioural problems and further indicators of impaired psychosocial functioning both in late adolescence and young adulthood. CONCLUSION: This Swiss community survey documents that alcohol use is problematic in a sizeable proportion of youth and goes hand in hand with a large number of psychosocial problems

Diagnostic Accuracy of Adenosine Deaminase and Lymphocyte Proportion in Pleural Fluid for Tuberculous Pleurisy in Different Prevalence Scenarios

BACKGROUND: Tuberculous pleural effusion (TPE) is a paucibacillary manifestation of tuberculosis, so isolation of Mycobacterium tuberculosis is difficult, biomarkers being an alternative for diagnosis. Adenosine deaminase (ADA) is the most cost-effective pleural fluid marker and is routinely used in high prevalence settings, whereas its value is questioned in areas with low prevalence. The lymphocyte proportion (LP) is known to increase the specificity of ADA for this diagnosis. We analyse the diagnostic usefulness of ADA alone and the combination of ADA ≥ 40 U/l (ADA(40)) and LP ≥ 50% (LP(50)) in three different prevalence scenarios over 11 years in our area. MATERIALS AND METHODS: Biochemistry, cytology and microbiology studies from 472 consecutive pleural fluid samples were retrospectively analyzed. ADA and differential cell count were determined in all samples. We established three different prevalence periods, based on percentage of pleural effusion cases diagnosed as tuberculosis: 1998-2000 (31.3%), 2001-2004 (11.8%), and 2005-2008 (7.4%). ROC curves, dispersion diagrams and pre/post-test probability graphs were produced. TPE accounted for 73 episodes (mean prevalence: 15.5%). The sensitivity, specificity, positive predictive value (PPV) and negative predictive value (NPV) for ADA(40) were 89%, 92.7%, 69.2% and 97.9%, respectively. For ADA(40)+LP(50) the specificity and PPV increased (98.3% and 90%) with hardly any decrease in the sensitivity or NPV (86.3% and 97.5%). No relevant differences were observed between the three study periods. CONCLUSIONS/SIGNIFICANCE: ADA remains useful for the diagnosis of TPE even in low-to-intermediate prevalence scenarios when combined with the lymphocyte proportion

Understanding discrepancies in parent-child reporting of emotional and behavioural problems: Effects of relational and socio-demographic factors

<p>Abstract</p> <p>Background</p> <p>Discrepancies between parents and children in their assessment of children's mental health affect the evaluation of need for services and must be taken seriously. This article presents the differences between parents' and children's reports of the children's symptoms and social impairment, based on the results of the Strengths and Difficulties Questionnaire (SDQ). The interrelationship between relational aspects and socio-demographic factors with patterns of disagreement are explored.</p> <p>Methods</p> <p>Differences in the prevalence and means of SDQ symptom and impact scores were obtained from 8,154 primary school children, aged between 10 and 13 years, and their parents. Agreement between matched pairs was measured using Pearson's and Spearman's rho correlations. Socio-demographic variables, communication patterns and parental engagement were analysed as possible correlates of informant discrepancies using bivariate and multivariate logistic regression models.</p> <p>Results</p> <p>In general, although children reported more symptoms, they reported less impact of perceived difficulties than parents. The parents were more consistent in their evaluation of symptoms and impact than were the children. Exploration of highly discrepant subgroups showed that, when children reported the most symptoms and impact, qualitative aspects of the parent-child relationship and family structure seemed to be more powerful predictors of disagreement than were gender of the child and socio-demographic variables. When parents reported the most symptoms and impact, low parental educational level, low income and male gender of the child played an additional role.</p> <p>Conclusions</p> <p>Our findings underline the importance of paying attention to child reports of emotional-behavioural difficulties, particularly when parents do not identify these problems. Considerations on what meaning parent-child discrepancy might have in the context of the parent-child relationship or the family's psychosocial status should be integrated in the overall understanding of the child's situation and subsequent recommendations.</p

Psychologie der Kreativität

Ein kleiner Streifzug durch die psychologische Kreativitätsforschung befasst sich mit den Möglichkeiten der Erfassung kreativer Prozesse, ihrer Manifestation, den Determinanten, der Frage nach der Notwendigkeit zu kreativem Denken und schließlich Erkenntnissen darüber, wie kreatives Denken gefördert werden kann

An Ultra-High Discrimination Y Chromosome Short Tandem Repeat Multiplex DNA Typing System

In forensic casework, Y chromosome short tandem repeat markers (Y-STRs) are often used to identify a male donor DNA profile in the presence of excess quantities of female DNA, such as is found in many sexual assault investigations. Commercially available Y-STR multiplexes incorporating 12–17 loci are currently used in forensic casework (Promega's PowerPlex® Y and Applied Biosystems' AmpFlSTR® Yfiler®). Despite the robustness of these commercial multiplex Y-STR systems and the ability to discriminate two male individuals in most cases, the coincidence match probabilities between unrelated males are modest compared with the standard set of autosomal STR markers. Hence there is still a need to develop new multiplex systems to supplement these for those cases where additional discriminatory power is desired or where there is a coincidental Y-STR match between potential male participants. Over 400 Y-STR loci have been identified on the Y chromosome. While these have the potential to increase the discrimination potential afforded by the commercially available kits, many have not been well characterized. In the present work, 91 loci were tested for their relative ability to increase the discrimination potential of the commonly used ‘core’ Y-STR loci. The result of this extensive evaluation was the development of an ultra high discrimination (UHD) multiplex DNA typing system that allows for the robust co-amplification of 14 non-core Y-STR loci. Population studies with a mixed African American and American Caucasian sample set (n = 572) indicated that the overall discriminatory potential of the UHD multiplex was superior to all commercial kits tested. The combined use of the UHD multiplex and the Applied Biosystems' AmpFlSTR® Yfiler® kit resulted in 100% discrimination of all individuals within the sample set, which presages its potential to maximally augment currently available forensic casework markers. It could also find applications in human evolutionary genetics and genetic genealogy