Effect of urban vs. rural residence on the association between atopy and wheeze in Latin America: findings from a case-control analysis.

BACKGROUND: The association between atopy and asthma is attenuated in non-affluent populations, an effect that may be explained by childhood infections such as geohelminths. OBJECTIVE: To investigate the association between atopy and wheeze in schoolchildren living in urban and rural areas of Ecuador and examine the effects of geohelminths on this association. METHODS: We performed nested case-control studies among comparable populations of schoolchildren living in rural communities and urban neighbourhoods in the Province of Esmeraldas, Ecuador. We detected geohelminths in stool samples, measured recent wheeze and environmental exposures by parental questionnaire, and atopy by specific IgE (sIgE) and skin prick test (SPT) reactivity to aeroallergens. RESULTS: Atopy, particularly sIgE to house dust mite (HDM), was more strongly associated with recent wheeze in urban than rural schoolchildren: (urban, adj. OR 5.19, 95% CI 3.37-8.00, P < 0.0001; rural, adj. OR 1.81, 95%CI 1.09-2.99, P = 0.02; interaction, P < 0.001). The population fractions of wheeze attributable to atopy were approximately two-fold greater in urban schoolchildren: SPT to any allergen (urban 23.5% vs. rural 10.1%), SPT to HDM (urban 18.5% vs. rural 9.6%), and anti-HDM IgE (urban 26.5% vs. rural 10.5%), while anti-Ascaris IgE was related to wheeze in a high proportion of rural (49.7%) and urban (35.4%) children. The association between atopy and recent wheeze was attenuated by markers of geohelminth infections. CONCLUSIONS: Our data suggest that urban residence modifies the association between HDM atopy and recent wheeze, and this effect is explained partly by geohelminth infections

Evaluation of the gn-->pi-p differential cross sections in the Delta-isobar region

Differential cross sections for the process gn-->pi-p have been extracted from MAMI-B measurements of gd-->pi-pp, accounting for final-state interaction effects, using a diagrammatic technique taking into account the NN and piN final-state interaction amplitudes. Results are compared to previous measurements of the inverse process, pi-p--> ng, and recent multipole analyses.Comment: 6 pages, 4 figures. v2: Further clarifications and minor changes. A new figure inserte

Extended Partial-Wave Analysis of piN Scattering Data

We present results from a comprehensive partial-wave analysis of pi+-p elastic scattering and charge-exchange data, covering the region from threshold to 2.6 GeV in the lab pion kinetic energy, employing a coupled-channel formalism to simultaneously fit pi-p-->eta n data to 0.8 GeV. Our main result, solution SP06, utilizes a complete set of forward and fixed-t dispersion relation constraints applied to the piN elastic amplitude. The results of these analyses are compared with previous solutions in terms of their resonance spectra and preferred values for couplings and low-energy parameters.Comment: 21 pages, 11 figure

REVIEW OF PARTICLE PHYSICS

The Review summarizes much of particle physics and cosmology. Using data from previous editions, plus 2,143 new measurements from 709 papers, we list, evaluate, and average measured properties of gauge bosons and the recently discovered Higgs boson, leptons, quarks, mesons, and baryons. We summarize searches for hypothetical particles such as supersymmetric particles, heavy bosons, axions, dark photons, etc. Particle properties and search limits are listed in Summary Tables. We give numerous tables, figures, formulae, and reviews of topics such as Higgs Boson Physics, Supersymmetry, Grand Unified Theories, Neutrino Mixing, Dark Energy, Dark Matter, Cosmology, Particle Detectors, Colliders, Probability and Statistics. Among the 120 reviews are many that are new or heavily revised, including a new review on Machine Learning, and one on Spectroscopy of Light Meson Resonances. The Review is divided into two volumes. Volume 1 includes the Summary Tables and 97 review articles. Volume 2 consists of the Particle Listings and contains also 23 reviews that address specific aspects of the data presented in the Listings. The complete Review (both volumes) is published online on the website of the Particle Data Group (pdg.lbl.gov) and in a journal. Volume 1 is available in print as the PDG Book. A Particle Physics Booklet with the Summary Tables and essential tables, figures, and equations from selected review articles is available in print, as a web version optimized for use on phones, and as an Android app.Peer reviewe

Two-color holography concept (T-CHI)

The Material Processing in the Space Program of NASA-MSFC was active in developing numerous optical techniques for the characterization of fluids in the vicinity of various materials during crystallization and/or solidification. Two-color holographic interferometry demonstrates that temperature and concentration separation in transparent (T-CHI) model systems is possible. The experiments were performed for particular (succinonitrile) systems. Several solutions are possible in Microgravity Sciences and Applications (MSA) experiments on future Shuttle missions. The theory of the T-CHI concept is evaluated. Although particular cases are used for explanations, the concepts developed will be universal. A breadboard system design is also presented for ultimate fabrication and testing of theoretical findings. New developments in holography involving optical fibers and diode lasers are also incorporated

First Complete Genome Sequence of a Genotype A2, Subgroup 4 Small Ruminant Lentivirus

Genetic variation in the ovine TMEM154 gene associates with susceptibility to small ruminant lentivirus (SRLV) infection. We report here the first complete genome sequence for a genotype A2, subgroup 4 SRLV isolated from a Hampshire ewe with two copies of a TMEM154 frameshift mutation predicted to abolish protein function

First Complete Genome Sequence of a Genotype A2, Subgroup 4 Small Ruminant Lentivirus

Genetic variation in the ovine TMEM154 gene associates with susceptibility to small ruminant lentivirus (SRLV) infection. We report here the first complete genome sequence for a genotype A2, subgroup 4 SRLV isolated from a Hampshire ewe with two copies of a TMEM154 frameshift mutation predicted to abolish protein function

Comment on ``Evidence for Narrow Baryon Resonances in Inelastic pp Scattering''

Compton scattering data are sensitive to the existence of low-mass resonances reported by Tatischeff et al. We show that such states, with their reported properties, are excluded by previous Compton scattering experiments.Comment: One page, submitted to PR