1,302 research outputs found
Sea anemones may thrive in a high CO2 world
Increased seawater pCO 2, and in turn 'ocean acidification' (OA), is predicted to profoundly impact marine ecosystem diversity and function this century. Much research has already focussed on calcifying reef-forming corals (Class: Anthozoa) that appear particularly susceptible to OA via reduced net calcification. However, here we show that OA-like conditions can simultaneously enhance the ecological success of non-calcifying anthozoans, which not only play key ecological and biogeochemical roles in present day benthic ecosystems but also represent a model organism should calcifying anthozoans exist as less calcified (soft-bodied) forms in future oceans. Increased growth (abundance and size) of the sea anemone (Anemonia viridis) population was observed along a natural CO 2 gradient at Vulcano, Italy. Both gross photosynthesis (P G) and respiration (R) increased with pCO 2 indicating that the increased growth was, at least in part, fuelled by bottom up (CO 2 stimulation) of metabolism. The increase of P G outweighed that of R and the genetic identity of the symbiotic microalgae (Symbiodinium spp.) remained unchanged (type A19) suggesting proximity to the vent site relieved CO 2 limitation of the anemones' symbiotic microalgal population. Our observations of enhanced productivity with pCO 2, which are consistent with previous reports for some calcifying corals, convey an increase in fitness that may enable non-calcifying anthozoans to thrive in future environments, i.e. higher seawater pCO 2. Understanding how CO 2-enhanced productivity of non- (and less-) calcifying anthozoans applies more widely to tropical ecosystems is a priority where such organisms can dominate benthic ecosystems, in particular following localized anthropogenic stress. Ā© 2012 Blackwell Publishing Ltd
Starting a New Oral Oncology Agent in the Midst of the Pandemic
Abbey Kaler pictured. Breast Medical Oncology
Kaler A, McClosky V, Raghavendra AS, Tripathy D. Oral Oncolytics: Using Remote Technology to Improve Access, Operational Efficiency, and Satisfaction. Clinical journal of oncology nursing. 2022;26(3):308-312. doi:10.1188/22.CJON.308-312https://openworks.mdanderson.org/aprn-week-22/1002/thumbnail.jp
Allergen-specific immunotherapy
Allergen-specific immunotherapy is a potentially disease-modifying therapy that is effective for the treatment of allergic rhinitis/conjunctivitis, allergic asthma and stinging insect hypersensitivity. However, despite its proven efficacy in these conditions, it is frequently underutilized in Canada. The decision to proceed with allergen-specific immunotherapy should be made on a case-by-case basis, taking into account individual patient factors such as the degree to which symptoms can be reduced by avoidance measures and pharmacological therapy, the amount and type of medication required to control symptoms, the adverse effects of pharmacological treatment, and patient preferences. Since this form of therapy carries the risk of anaphylactic reactions, it should only be prescribed by physicians who are adequately trained in the treatment of allergy. Furthermore, injections must be given under medical supervision in clinics that are equipped to manage anaphylaxis. In this article, the authors review the indications and contraindications, patient selection criteria, and the administration, safety and efficacy of allergen-specific immunotherapy
Dynamical R-parity Breaking at the LHC
In a class of extensions of the minimal supersymmetric standard model with
(B-L)/left-right symmetry that explains the neutrino masses, breaking R-parity
symmetry is an essential and dynamical requirement for successful gauge
symmetry breaking. Two consequences of these models are: (i) a new kind of
R-parity breaking interaction that protects proton stability but adds new
contributions to neutrinoless double beta decay and (ii) an upper bound on the
extra gauge and parity symmetry breaking scale which is within the large hadron
collider (LHC) energy range. We point out that an important prediction of such
theories is a potentially large mixing between the right-handed charged lepton
() and the superpartner of the right-handed gauge boson (), which leads to a brand new class of R-parity violating interactions of
type and \widetilde{d^c}^\dagger\u^c
e^c. We analyze the relevant constraints on the sparticle mass spectrum and
the LHC signatures for the case with smuon/stau NLSP and gravitino LSP. We note
the "smoking gun" signals for such models to be lepton flavor/number violating
processes: (or ) and
(or ) without
significant missing energy. The predicted multi-lepton final states and the
flavor structure make the model be distinguishable even in the early running of
the LHC.Comment: 30 pages, 13 figures, 6 tables, reference adde
Live to cheat another day: bacterial dormancy facilitates the social exploitation of beta-lactamases
The breakdown of antibiotics by Ī²-lactamases may be cooperative, since resistant cells can detoxify their environment and facilitate the growth of susceptible neighbours. However, previous studies of this phenomenon have used artificial bacterial vectors or engineered bacteria to increase the secretion of Ī²-lactamases from cells. Here, we investigated whether a broad-spectrum Ī²-lactamase gene carried by a naturally occurring plasmid (pCT) is cooperative under a range of conditions. In ordinary batch culture on solid media, there was little or no evidence that resistant bacteria could protect susceptible cells from ampicillin, although resistant colonies could locally detoxify this growth medium. However, when susceptible cells were inoculated at high densities, late-appearing phenotypically susceptible bacteria grew in the vicinity of resistant colonies. We infer that persisters, cells that have survived antibiotics by undergoing a period of dormancy, founded these satellite colonies. The number of persister colonies was positively correlated with the density of resistant colonies and increased as antibiotic concentrations decreased. We argue that detoxification can be cooperative under a limited range of conditions: if the toxins are bacteriostatic rather than bacteridical; or if susceptible cells invade communities after resistant bacteria; or if dormancy allows susceptible cells to avoid bactericides. Resistance and tolerance were previously thought to be independent solutions for surviving antibiotics. Here, we show that these are interacting strategies: the presence of bacteria adopting one solution can have substantial effects on the fitness of their neighbours
Measuring Slepton Masses and Mixings at the LHC
Flavor physics may help us understand theories beyond the standard model. In
the context of supersymmetry, if we can measure the masses and mixings of
sleptons and squarks, we may learn something about supersymmetry and
supersymmetry breaking. Here we consider a hybrid gauge-gravity supersymmetric
model in which the observed masses and mixings of the standard model leptons
are explained by a U(1) x U(1) flavor symmetry. In the supersymmetric sector,
the charged sleptons have reasonably large flavor mixings, and the lightest is
metastable. As a result, supersymmetric events are characterized not by missing
energy, but by heavy metastable charged particles. Many supersymmetric events
are therefore fully reconstructible, and we can reconstruct most of the charged
sleptons by working up the long supersymmetric decay chains. We obtain
promising results for both masses and mixings, and conclude that, given a
favorable model, precise measurements at the LHC may help shed light not only
on new physics, but also on the standard model flavor parameters.Comment: 24 pages; v2: fixed a typo in our computer program that led to some
miscalculated branching ratios, various clarifications and minor
improvements, conclusions unchanged, published versio
Lifshitz black holes in string theory
We provide the first black hole solutions with Lifshitz asymptotics found in
string theory. These are expected to be dual to models enjoying anisotropic
scale invariance with dynamical exponent z=2 at finite temperature. We employ a
consistent truncation of type IIB supergravity to four dimensions with an
arbitrary 5-dimensional Einstein manifold times a circle as internal geometry.
New interesting features are found that significantly differ from previous
results in phenomenological models. In particular, small black holes are shown
to be thermodynamically unstable, analogously to the usual AdS-Schwarzschild
black holes, and extremality is never reached. This signals a possible
Hawking-Page like phase transition at low temperatures.Comment: 19 pages, 7 figures. v2 references adde
Preventive medical care in remote Aboriginal communities in the Northern Territory: a follow-up study of the impact of clinical guidelines, computerised recall and reminder systems, and audit and feedback
Background
Interventions to improve delivery of preventive medical services have been shown to be effective in North America and the UK. However, there are few studies of the extent to which the impact of such interventions has been sustained, or of the impact of such interventions in disadvantaged populations or remote settings. This paper describes the trends in delivery of preventive medical services following a multifaceted intervention in remote community health centres in the Northern Territory of Australia.
Methods
The intervention comprised the development and dissemination of best practice guidelines supported by an electronic client register, recall and reminder systems and associated staff training, and audit and feedback. Clinical records in seven community health centres were audited at regular intervals against best practice guidelines over a period of three years, with feedback of audit findings to health centre staff and management.
Results
Levels of service delivery varied between services and between communities. There was an initial improvement in service levels for most services following the intervention, but improvements were in general not fully sustained over the three year period.
Conclusions
Improvements in service delivery are consistent with the international experience, although baseline and follow-up levels are in many cases higher than reported for comparable studies in North America and the UK. Sustainability of improvements may be achieved by institutionalisation of relevant work practices and enhanced health centre capacity
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