Cardiovascular disease in a cohort exposed to the 1940-45 Channel Islands occupation

BACKGROUND To clarify the nature of the relationship between food deprivation/undernutrition during pre- and postnatal development and cardiovascular disease (CVD) in later life, this study examined the relationship between birth weight (as a marker of prenatal nutrition) and the incidence of hospital admissions for CVD from 1997–2005 amongst 873 Guernsey islanders (born in 1923–1937), 225 of whom had been exposed to food deprivation as children, adolescents or young adults (i.e. postnatal undernutrition) during the 1940–45 German occupation of the Channel Islands, and 648 of whom had left or been evacuated from the islands before the occupation began. METHODS Three sets of Cox regression models were used to investigate (A) the relationship between birth weight and CVD, (B) the relationship between postnatal exposure to the occupation and CVD and (C) any interaction between birth weight, postnatal exposure to the occupation and CVD. These models also tested for any interactions between birth weight and sex, and postnatal exposure to the occupation and parish of residence at birth (as a marker of parish residence during the occupation and related variation in the severity of food deprivation). RESULTS The first set of models (A) found no relationship between birth weight and CVD even after adjustment for potential confounders (hazard ratio (HR) per kg increase in birth weight: 1.12; 95% confidence intervals (CI): 0.70 – 1.78), and there was no significant interaction between birth weight and sex (p = 0.60). The second set of models (B) found a significant relationship between postnatal exposure to the occupation and CVD after adjustment for potential confounders (HR for exposed vs. unexposed group: 2.52; 95% CI: 1.54 – 4.13), as well as a significant interaction between postnatal exposure to the occupation and parish of residence at birth (p = 0.01), such that those born in urban parishes (where food deprivation was worst) had a greater HR for CVD than those born in rural parishes. The third model (C) found no interaction between birth weight and exposure to the occupation (p = 0.43). CONCLUSION These findings suggest that the levels of postnatal undernutrition experienced by children, adolescents and young adults exposed to food deprivation during the 1940–45 occupation of the Channel Islands were a more important determinant of CVD in later life than the levels of prenatal undernutrition experienced in utero prior to the occupatio

Sex-biased parental care and sexual size dimorphism in a provisioning arthropod

The diverse selection pressures driving the evolution of sexual size dimorphism (SSD) have long been debated. While the balance between fecundity selection and sexual selection has received much attention, explanations based on sex-specific ecology have proven harder to test. In ectotherms, females are typically larger than males, and this is frequently thought to be because size constrains female fecundity more than it constrains male mating success. However, SSD could additionally reflect maternal care strategies. Under this hypothesis, females are relatively larger where reproduction requires greater maximum maternal effort – for example where mothers transport heavy provisions to nests. To test this hypothesis we focussed on digger wasps (Hymenoptera: Ammophilini), a relatively homogeneous group in which only females provision offspring. In some species, a single large prey item, up to 10 times the mother’s weight, must be carried to each burrow on foot; other species provide many small prey, each flown individually to the nest. We found more pronounced female-biased SSD in species where females carry single, heavy prey. More generally, SSD was negatively correlated with numbers of prey provided per offspring. Females provisioning multiple small items had longer wings and thoraxes, probably because smaller prey are carried in flight. Despite much theorising, few empirical studies have tested how sex-biased parental care can affect SSD. Our study reveals that such costs can be associated with the evolution of dimorphism, and this should be investigated in other clades where parental care costs differ between sexes and species

Study of Bc+B_c^+ decays to the K+K−π+K^+K^-\pi^+ final state and evidence for the decay Bc+→χc0π+B_c^+\to\chi_{c0}\pi^+

A study of $B_c^+\to K^+K^-\pi^+$ decays is performed for the first time using data corresponding to an integrated luminosity of 3.0 $\mathrm{fb}^{-1}$ collected by the LHCb experiment in $pp$ collisions at centre-of-mass energies of $7$ and $8$ TeV. Evidence for the decay $B_c^+\to\chi_{c0}(\to K^+K^-)\pi^+$ is reported with a significance of 4.0 standard deviations, resulting in the measurement of $\frac{\sigma(B_c^+)}{\sigma(B^+)}\times\mathcal{B}(B_c^+\to\chi_{c0}\pi^+)$ to be $(9.8^{+3.4}_{-3.0}(\mathrm{stat})\pm 0.8(\mathrm{syst}))\times 10^{-6}$. Here $\mathcal{B}$ denotes a branching fraction while $\sigma(B_c^+)$ and $\sigma(B^+)$ are the production cross-sections for $B_c^+$ and $B^+$ mesons. An indication of $\bar b c$ weak annihilation is found for the region $m(K^-\pi^+)<1.834\mathrm{\,Ge\kern -0.1em V\!/}c^2$, with a significance of 2.4 standard deviations.Comment: All figures and tables, along with any supplementary material and additional information, are available at https://lhcbproject.web.cern.ch/lhcbproject/Publications/LHCbProjectPublic/LHCb-PAPER-2016-022.html, link to supplemental material inserted in the reference

Observation of associated near-side and away-side long-range correlations in √sNN=5.02 TeV proton-lead collisions with the ATLAS detector

Two-particle correlations in relative azimuthal angle (Δϕ) and pseudorapidity (Δη) are measured in √sNN=5.02  TeV p+Pb collisions using the ATLAS detector at the LHC. The measurements are performed using approximately 1  μb-1 of data as a function of transverse momentum (pT) and the transverse energy (ΣETPb) summed over 3.1<η<4.9 in the direction of the Pb beam. The correlation function, constructed from charged particles, exhibits a long-range (2<|Δη|<5) “near-side” (Δϕ∼0) correlation that grows rapidly with increasing ΣETPb. A long-range “away-side” (Δϕ∼π) correlation, obtained by subtracting the expected contributions from recoiling dijets and other sources estimated using events with small ΣETPb, is found to match the near-side correlation in magnitude, shape (in Δη and Δϕ) and ΣETPb dependence. The resultant Δϕ correlation is approximately symmetric about π/2, and is consistent with a dominant cos⁡2Δϕ modulation for all ΣETPb ranges and particle pT

A mathematical and computational review of Hartree-Fock SCF methods in Quantum Chemistry

We present here a review of the fundamental topics of Hartree-Fock theory in Quantum Chemistry. From the molecular Hamiltonian, using and discussing the Born-Oppenheimer approximation, we arrive to the Hartree and Hartree-Fock equations for the electronic problem. Special emphasis is placed in the most relevant mathematical aspects of the theoretical derivation of the final equations, as well as in the results regarding the existence and uniqueness of their solutions. All Hartree-Fock versions with different spin restrictions are systematically extracted from the general case, thus providing a unifying framework. Then, the discretization of the one-electron orbitals space is reviewed and the Roothaan-Hall formalism introduced. This leads to a exposition of the basic underlying concepts related to the construction and selection of Gaussian basis sets, focusing in algorithmic efficiency issues. Finally, we close the review with a section in which the most relevant modern developments (specially those related to the design of linear-scaling methods) are commented and linked to the issues discussed. The whole work is intentionally introductory and rather self-contained, so that it may be useful for non experts that aim to use quantum chemical methods in interdisciplinary applications. Moreover, much material that is found scattered in the literature has been put together here to facilitate comprehension and to serve as a handy reference.Comment: 64 pages, 3 figures, tMPH2e.cls style file, doublesp, mathbbol and subeqn package

Precision Measurement of the Mass and Lifetime of the Xi(-)(b) Baryon

We report on measurements of the mass and lifetime of the Xi(-)(b) baryon using about 1800 Xi(-)(b) decays reconstructed in a proton-proton collision data set corresponding to an integrated luminosity of 3.0 fb(-1) collected by the LHCb experiment. The decays are reconstructed in the Xi(-)(b) -> Xi(0)(c)pi(-), Xi(0)(c) -> pK(-)K(-)pi(+) channel and the mass and lifetime are measured using the Lambda(0)(b) -> Lambda(+)(c)pi(-) mode as a reference. We measure M(Xi(-)(b)) ¿ M(Lambda(0)(b)) = 178.36 +/- 0.46 +/- 0.16 MeV/c(2), (tau Xi(-)(b)/tau Lambda(0)(b)) = 1.089 +/- 0.026 +/- 0.011, where the uncertainties are statistical and systematic, respectively. These results lead to a factor of 2 better precision on the Xi(-)(b) mass and lifetime compared to previous best measurements, and are consistent with theoretical expectations

The disruption of proteostasis in neurodegenerative diseases

Cells count on surveillance systems to monitor and protect the cellular proteome which, besides being highly heterogeneous, is constantly being challenged by intrinsic and environmental factors. In this context, the proteostasis network (PN) is essential to achieve a stable and functional proteome. Disruption of the PN is associated with aging and can lead to and/or potentiate the occurrence of many neurodegenerative diseases (ND). This not only emphasizes the importance of the PN in health span and aging but also how its modulation can be a potential target for intervention and treatment of human diseases.info:eu-repo/semantics/publishedVersio

Measurement of CP asymmetry in B-s(0) -> D-s(-/+) K-/+ decays

We report on measurements of the time-dependent CP violating observables in B-s(0) -> D-s(-/+) K--/+ decays using a dataset corresponding to 1.0 fb(-1) of pp collisions recorded with the LHCb detector. We find the CP violating observables C-f = 0.53 +/- 0.25 +/- 0.04, A(f)(Delta Gamma) = 0.37 +/- 0.42 +/- 0.20, A((f) over bar)(Delta Gamma) = 0.20 +/- 0.41 +/- 0.20, S-f = -1.09 +/- 0.33 +/- 0.08, S-(f) over bar = -0.36 +/- 0.34 +/- 0.08, where the uncertainties are statistical and systematic, respectively. Using these observables together with a recent measurement of the B-s(0) mixing phase -2 beta(s) leads to the first extraction of the CKM angle gamma from B-s(0) -> D-s(-/+) K--/+ decays, finding gamma = (115(-43)(+28))degrees modulo 180 degrees at 68% CL, where the error contains both statistical and systematic uncertainties

Measurement of CP violation parameters in B-0 -> DK*(0) decays

An analysis of B-0 --> DK*(0) decays is presented, where D represents an admixture of D-0 and (D) over bar (0) mesons reconstructed in four separate final states: K-pi(+), pi K--(+), K+K- and pi(+)pi(-). The data sample corresponds to 3.0 fb(-1) of proton-proton collision, collected by the LHCb experiment. Measurements of several observables are performed, including CP asymmetries. The most precise determination is presented of r(B)(DK*(0)), the magnitude of the ratio of the amplitudes of the decay B-0 --> DK+pi(-) with a b --> u or a b --> c transition, in a K pi mass region of +/- 50 MeV/c(2) around the K*(892) mass and for an absolute value of the cosine of the K*(0) helicity angle larger than 0.4

First Observation of a Baryonic B-c(+) Decay

A baryonic decay of the B-c(+) meson, B-c(+) -> J/psi p (p) over bar pi(+) is observed for the first time, with a significance of 7.3 standard deviations, in pp collision data collected with the LHCb detector and corresponding to an integrated luminosity of 3.0 fb(-1) taken at center-of-mass energies of 7 and 8 TeV. With the B-c(+) -> J/psi pi(+) decay as the normalization channel, the ratio of branching fractions is measured to be B(B-c(+) -> J/psi p (p) over bar pi(+)) /B(B-c(+) -> J/psi pi(+)) = 0.143(-0.034)(+0.039) (stat) +/- 0.013 (syst). The mass of the B-c(+) messon is determined as M(B-c(+)) = 6274.0 +/- 0.4 (sysst) MeV/c(2), using the B-c(+) -> J/psi p (p) over bar pi(+) channel