Managing the severely impaired arm after stroke: a mixed-methods study with qualitative emphasis.

Purpose: There is a paucity of research into self-management strategies employed by stroke survivors outside of formal rehabilitation. This study aimed to explore stroke survivors' experiences of, and strategies for self-managing their severely impaired upper limb.Materials and methods: English-speaking stroke survivors whose upper limb had been non-functional at 3 months post-stroke took part in interviews (n = 16), a focus group (n = 6) and a survey (n = 20). Quantitative data were analysed descriptively. Qualitative data were analysed through thematic framework analysis using NVivo© software.Results: Participants' median (range) age group was 50-59 years (30-39, 70+). Median (range) time post-stroke was 39 months (4 months, 46 years). The overarching theme across the data was "choosing and expanding." Participants enacted professionally driven management strategies for their affected arm, and then chose to continue with what worked for them. Strategies were expanded through self-discovery and interaction with peers. There were sadness and frustration at the loss of arm function, but also satisfaction and self-confidence when progress was being made. Participants described an attitude of not giving up and remaining hopeful.Conclusions: These findings extend our understanding about how individuals manage their severely impaired upper limb and can be used to inform a novel stroke self-management intervention.Implications for rehabilitationStroke survivors' experiences of managing the severely affected upper limb may inform rehabilitation practice to foster self-management.Rehabilitation professionals may actively support stroke survivors in choosing from, and expanding on professionals' advice and guidance.Maintaining a positive and hopeful outlook is important to many stroke survivors. Professionals should be mindful of the potential impact of their interactions and negative predictions.Stroke survivors' experiences of managing the severely affected upper limb may inform the development of a novel tailored self-management intervention

LHC and lepton flavour violation phenomenology of a left-right extension of the MSSM

We study the phenomenology of a supersymmetric left-right model, assuming minimal supergravity boundary conditions. Both left-right and (B-L) symmetries are broken at an energy scale close to, but significantly below the GUT scale. Neutrino data is explained via a seesaw mechanism. We calculate the RGEs for superpotential and soft parameters complete at 2-loop order. At low energies lepton flavour violation (LFV) and small, but potentially measurable mass splittings in the charged scalar lepton sector appear, due to the RGE running. Different from the supersymmetric 'pure seesaw' models, both, LFV and slepton mass splittings, occur not only in the left- but also in the right slepton sector. Especially, ratios of LFV slepton decays, such as Br(${\tilde\tau}_R \to \mu \chi^0_1$)/Br(${\tilde\tau}_L \to \mu \chi^0_1$) are sensitive to the ratio of (B-L) and left-right symmetry breaking scales. Also the model predicts a polarization asymmetry of the outgoing positrons in the decay $\mu^+ \to e^+ \gamma$, A ~ [0,1], which differs from the pure seesaw 'prediction' A=1$. Observation of any of these signals allows to distinguish this model from any of the three standard, pure (mSugra) seesaw setups.Comment: 43 pages, 17 figure

The mu - e Conversion in Nuclei, mu --> e gamma, mu --> 3e Decays and TeV Scale See-Saw Scenarios of Neutrino Mass Generation

We perform a detailed analysis of lepton flavour violation (LFV) within minimal see-saw type extensions of the Standard Model (SM), which give a viable mechanism of neutrino mass generation and provide new particle content at the electroweak scale. We focus, mainly, on predictions and constraints set on each scenario from mu --> e gamma, mu --> 3e and mu - e conversion in the nuclei. In this class of models, the flavour structure of the Yukawa couplings between the additional scalar and fermion representations and the SM leptons is highly constrained by neutrino oscillation measurements. In particular, we show that in some regions of the parameters space of type I and type II see-saw models, the Dirac and Majorana phases of the neutrino mixing matrix, the ordering and hierarchy of the active neutrino mass spectrum as well as the value of the reactor mixing angle theta_{13} may considerably affect the size of the LFV observables. The interplay of the latter clearly allows to discriminate among the different low energy see-saw possibilities.Comment: Expressions for the factors |C_{me}|^2 and |C_{mu3e}|^2 in the mu-e conversion and mu-->3e decay rates, eqs. (36) and (49), respectively, corrected; results in subsections 2.2 and 2.3 quantitatively changed, qualitatively remain the same; figures 2, 3, 4 and 5 replace

A Large Scale Double Beta and Dark Matter Experiment: GENIUS

The recent results from the HEIDELBERG-MOSCOW experiment have demonstrated the large potential of double beta decay to search for new physics beyond the Standard Model. To increase by a major step the present sensitivity for double beta decay and dark matter search much bigger source strengths and much lower backgrounds are needed than used in experiments under operation at present or under construction. We present here a study of a project proposed recently, which would operate one ton of 'naked' enriched GErmanium-detectors in liquid NItrogen as shielding in an Underground Setup (GENIUS). It improves the sensitivity to neutrino masses to 0.01 eV. A ten ton version would probe neutrino masses even down to 10^-3 eV. The first version would allow to test the atmospheric neutrino problem, the second at least part of the solar neutrino problem. Both versions would allow in addition significant contributions to testing several classes of GUT models. These are especially tests of R-parity breaking supersymmetry models, leptoquark masses and mechanism and right-handed W-boson masses comparable to LHC. The second issue of the experiment is the search for dark matter in the universe. The entire MSSM parameter space for prediction of neutralinos as dark matter particles could be covered already in a first step of the full experiment - with the same purity requirements but using only 100 kg of 76Ge or even of natural Ge - making the experiment competitive to LHC in the search for supersymmetry. The layout of the proposed experiment is discussed and the shielding and purity requirements are studied using GEANT Monte Carlo simulations. As a demonstration of the feasibility of the experiment first results of operating a 'naked' Ge detector in liquid nitrogen are presented.Comment: 22 pages, 12 figures, see also http://pluto.mpi-hd.mpg.de/~betalit/genius.htm

Interplay of LFV and slepton mass splittings at the LHC as a probe of the SUSY seesaw

We study the impact of a type-I SUSY seesaw concerning lepton flavour violation (LFV) both at low-energies and at the LHC. The study of the di-lepton invariant mass distribution at the LHC allows to reconstruct some of the masses of the different sparticles involved in a decay chain. In particular, the combination with other observables renders feasible the reconstruction of the masses of the intermediate sleptons involved in $\chi_2^0\to \tilde \ell \,\ell \to \ell \,\ell\,\chi_1^0$ decays. Slepton mass splittings can be either interpreted as a signal of non-universality in the SUSY soft breaking-terms (signalling a deviation from constrained scenarios as the cMSSM) or as being due to the violation of lepton flavour. In the latter case, in addition to these high-energy processes, one expects further low-energy manifestations of LFV such as radiative and three-body lepton decays. Under the assumption of a type-I seesaw as the source of neutrino masses and mixings, all these LFV observables are related. Working in the framework of the cMSSM extended by three right-handed neutrino superfields, we conduct a systematic analysis addressing the simultaneous implications of the SUSY seesaw for both high- and low-energy lepton flavour violation. We discuss how the confrontation of slepton mass splittings as observed at the LHC and low-energy LFV observables may provide important information about the underlying mechanism of LFV.Comment: 50 pages, 42 eps Figures, typos correcte

Neutrinoless double beta decay in seesaw models

We study the general phenomenology of neutrinoless double beta decay in seesaw models. In particular, we focus on the dependence of the neutrinoless double beta decay rate on the mass of the extra states introduced to account for the Majorana masses of light neutrinos. For this purpose, we compute the nuclear matrix elements as functions of the mass of the mediating fermions and estimate the associated uncertainties. We then discuss what can be inferred on the seesaw model parameters in the different mass regimes and clarify how the contribution of the light neutrinos should always be taken into account when deriving bounds on the extra parameters. Conversely, the extra states can also have a significant impact, cancelling the Standard Model neutrino contribution for masses lighter than the nuclear scale and leading to vanishing neutrinoless double beta decay amplitudes even if neutrinos are Majorana particles. We also discuss how seesaw models could reconcile large rates of neutrinoless double beta decay with more stringent cosmological bounds on neutrino masses.Comment: 34 pages, 5 eps figures and 1 axodraw figure. Final version published in JHEP. NME results available in Appendi

Limits on the Majorana neutrino mass in the 0.1 eV range

The Heidelberg-Moscow experiment gives the most stringent limit on the Majorana neutrino mass. After 24 kg yr of data with pulse shape measurements, we set a lower limit on the half-life of the neutrinoless double beta decay in 76Ge of T_1/2 > 5.7 * 10^{25} yr at 90% C.L., thus excluding an effective Majorana neutrino mass greater than 0.2 eV. This allows to set strong constraints on degenerate neutrino mass models.Comment: 6 pages (latex) including 3 postscript figures and 2 table

Modulation of lung inflammation by vessel dilator in a mouse model of allergic asthma

<p>Abstract</p> <p>Background</p> <p>Atrial natriuretic peptide (ANP) and its receptor, NPRA, have been extensively studied in terms of cardiovascular effects. We have found that the ANP-NPRA signaling pathway is also involved in airway allergic inflammation and asthma. ANP, a C-terminal peptide (amino acid 99–126) of pro-atrial natriuretic factor (proANF) and a recombinant peptide, NP73-102 (amino acid 73–102 of proANF) have been reported to induce bronchoprotective effects in a mouse model of allergic asthma. In this report, we evaluated the effects of vessel dilator (VD), another N-terminal natriuretic peptide covering amino acids 31–67 of proANF, on acute lung inflammation in a mouse model of allergic asthma.</p> <p>Methods</p> <p>A549 cells were transfected with pVD or the pVAX1 control plasmid and cells were collected 24 hrs after transfection to analyze the effect of VD on inactivation of the extracellular-signal regulated receptor kinase (ERK1/2) through western blot. Luciferase assay, western blot and RT-PCR were also performed to analyze the effect of VD on NPRA expression. For determination of VD's attenuation of lung inflammation, BALB/c mice were sensitized and challenged with ovalbumin and then treated intranasally with chitosan nanoparticles containing pVD. Parameters of airway inflammation, such as airway hyperreactivity, proinflammatory cytokine levels, eosinophil recruitment and lung histopathology were compared with control mice receiving nanoparticles containing pVAX1 control plasmid.</p> <p>Results</p> <p>pVD nanoparticles inactivated ERK1/2 and downregulated NPRA expression in vitro, and intranasal treatment with pVD nanoparticles protected mice from airway inflammation.</p> <p>Conclusion</p> <p>VD's modulation of airway inflammation may result from its inactivation of ERK1/2 and downregulation of NPRA expression. Chitosan nanoparticles containing pVD may be therapeutically effective in preventing allergic airway inflammation.</p

Radiative Corrections to Light Neutrino Masses in Low Scale Type I Seesaw Scenarios and Neutrinoless Double Beta Decay

We perform a detailed analysis of the one-loop corrections to the light neutrino mass matrix within low scale type I seesaw extensions of the Standard Model and their implications in experimental searches for neutrinoless double beta decay. We show that a sizable contribution to the effective Majorana neutrino mass from the exchange of heavy Majorana neutrinos is always possible, provided one requires a fine-tuned cancellation between the tree-level and one-loop contribution to the light neutrino masses. We quantify the level of fine-tuning as a function of the seesaw parameters and introduce a generalisation of the Casas-Ibarra parametrization of the neutrino Yukawa matrix, which easily allows to include the one-loop corrections to the light neutrino masses. \ua9 2015, The Author(s)

Implications of Recent Data on Neutrino Mixing and Lepton Flavour Violating Decays for the Zee Model

We study implications of recent data on neutrino mixing from T2K, MINOS, Double Chooz and $\mu \to e \gamma$ from MEG for the Zee model. The simplest version of this model has been shown to be ruled out by experimental data some time ago. The general Zee model is still consistent with recent data. We demonstrate this with a constrained Zee model based on naturalness consideration. In this constrained model, only inverted mass hierarchy for neutrino masses is allowed, and $\theta_{13}$ must be non-zero in order to have correct ratio for neutrino mass-squared differences and for mixing in solar and atmospherical neutrino oscillations. The best fit value of our model for $\theta_{13}$ is $8.91\deg$ from T2K and MINOS data, very close to the central value obtained by Double Chooz experiment. There are solutions with non-zero CP violation with the Jarlskog parameter predicted in the range $\pm 0.039$, $\pm 0.044$ and $\pm 0.048$ respectively for a 1$\sigma$, 2$\sigma$ and 3$\sigma$ ranges of other input parameters. However, without any constraint on the $\theta_{13}$-parameter above respective ranges become $\pm 0.049$, $\pm 0.053$ and $\pm 0.056$. We analyse different cases to obtain a branching ratio for $\mu \to e \gamma$ close to the recent MEG bound. We also discuss other radiative as well as the charged trilepton flavour violating decay modes of the $\tau$-lepton.Comment: References added, one extra figure added, typos corrected, few more related phenomenology discussion added/modified; 25 pages, 10 figure