Quadrupole boson structure form factors for proton scattering from the IBA model and electron scattering

Inelastic proton scattering from 110Pd has been measured at Ep = 30.7 MeV. Angular distributions for three low-lying 2+ states are satisfactorily reproduced by employing reduced matrix elements from the IBA model and form factors evaluated from two quadrupole transition charge densities (determined from electron scattering) folded with a nucleon—nucleon interaction. The relative phase between these two transition charge densities could be determined because of coupled channel effects in inelastic proton scattering. This leads to boson structure form factors for proton scattering resembling a Woods-Saxon first derivative for the d-boson non-conserving part and a Woods-Saxon second derivative with a reduced radius for the d-boson conserving part

Measurement of GEp/GMp in ep -> ep to Q2 = 5.6 GeV2

The ratio of the electric and magnetic form factors of the proton, GEp/GMp, was measured at the Thomas Jefferson National Accelerator Facility (JLab) using the recoil polarization technique. The ratio of the form factors is directly proportional to the ratio of the transverse to longitudinal components of the polarization of the recoil proton in the elastic $\vec ep \to e\vec p$ reaction. The new data presented in this article span the range 3.5 < Q2 < 5.6 GeV2 and are well described by a linear Q2 fit. Also, the ratio QF2p/F1p reaches a constant value above Q2=2 GeV2.Comment: 6 pages, 4 figures Added two names to the main author lis

Parity-Violating Electron Scattering from 4He and the Strange Electric Form Factor of the Nucleon

We have measured the parity-violating electroweak asymmetry in the elastic scattering of polarized electrons from ^4He at an average scattering angle = 5.7 degrees and a four-momentum transfer Q^2 = 0.091 GeV^2. From these data, for the first time, the strange electric form factor of the nucleon G^s_E can be isolated. The measured asymmetry of A_PV = (6.72 +/- 0.84 (stat) +/- 0.21 (syst) parts per million yields a value of G^s_E = -0.038 +/- 0.042 (stat) +/- 0.010 (syst), consistent with zero

Interleukin and Growth Factor Levels in Subretinal Fluid in Rhegmatogenous Retinal Detachment: A Case-Control Study

BACKGROUND: Rhegmatogenous retinal detachment (RRD) is a major cause of visual loss in developed countries. Proliferative vitreoretinopathy (PVR), an eye-sight threatening complication of RRD surgery, resembles a wound-healing process with inflammation, scar tissue formation, and membrane contraction. This study was performed to determine the possible involvement of a wide range of cytokines in the future development of PVR, and to identify predictors of PVR and visual outcome. METHODOLOGY: A multiplex immunoassay was used for the simultaneous detection of 29 different cytokines in subretinal fluid samples from patients with primary RRD. Of 306 samples that were collected and stored in our BioBank between 2001 and 2008, 21 samples from patients who developed postoperative PVR were compared with 54 age-, sex-, and storage-time-matched RRD control patients who had an uncomplicated postoperative course during the overall follow-up period. FINDINGS: Levels of IL-1α, IL-2, IL-3, IL-6, VEGF, and ICAM-1 were significantly higher (P<0.05) in patients who developed postoperative PVR after reattachment surgery than in patients with an uncomplicated postoperative course, whereas levels of IL-1β, IL-4, IL-5, IL-7, IL-9, IL-10, IL-11, IL-12p70, IL-13, IL-15, IL-17, IL-18, IL-21, IL-22, IL-23, IL-25, IL-33, TNF-α, IFN-γ, IGF-1, bFGF, HGF, and NGF were not (P>0.05). Multivariate logistic regression analysis revealed that IL-3 (P = 0.001), IL-6 (P = 0.047), ICAM-1 (P = 0.010), and preoperative visual acuity (P = 0.026) were independent predictors of postoperative PVR. Linear regression analysis showed that ICAM-1 (P = 0.005) and preoperative logMAR visual acuity (P = 0.001) were predictive of final visual outcome after primary RRD repair. CONCLUSIONS/SIGNIFICANCE: Our findings indicate that after RRD onset an exaggerated response of certain cytokines may predispose to PVR. Sampling at a time close to the onset of primary RRD may thus provide clues as to which biological events may initiate the development of PVR and, most importantly, may provide a means for therapeutic control

New Measurement of Parity Violation in Elastic Electron-Proton Scattering and Implications for Strange Form Factors

We have measured the parity-violating electroweak asymmetry in the elastic scattering of polarized electrons from the proton. The result is A = -15.05 +- 0.98(stat) +- 0.56(syst) ppm at the kinematic point theta_lab = 12.3 degrees and Q^2 = 0.477 (GeV/c)^2. The measurement implies that the value for the strange form factor (G_E^s + 0.392 G_M^s) = 0.025 +- 0.020 +- 0.014, where the first error is experimental and the second arises from the uncertainties in electromagnetic form factors. This measurement is the first fixed-target parity violation experiment that used either a `strained' GaAs photocathode to produce highly polarized electrons or a Compton polarimeter to continuously monitor the electron beam polarization.Comment: 8 pages, 4 figures, Tex, elsart.cls; revised version as accepted for Phys. Lett.

Revisions to the derivation of the Australian and New Zealand guidelines for toxicants in fresh and marine waters

The Australian and New Zealand Guidelines for Fresh and Marine Water Quality are a key document in the Australian National Water Quality Management Strategy. These guidelines released in 2000 are currently being reviewed and updated. The revision is being co-ordinated by the Australian Department of Sustainability, Environment, Water, Population and Communities, while technical matters are dealt with by a series of Working Groups. The revision will be evolutionary in nature reflecting the latest scientific developments and a range of stakeholder desires. Key changes will be: increasing the types and sources of data that can be used; working collaboratively with industry to permit the use of commercial-in-confidence data; increasing the minimum data requirements; including a measure of the uncertainty of the trigger value; improving the software used to calculate trigger values; increasing the rigour of site-specific trigger values; improving the method for assessing the reliability of the trigger values; and providing guidance of measures of toxicity and toxicological endpoints that may, in the near future, be appropriate for trigger value derivation. These changes will markedly improve the number and quality of the trigger values that can be derived and will increase end-users’ ability to understand and implement the guidelines in a scientifically rigorous manner

Display of probability densities for data from a continuous distribution

Based on cumulative distribution functions, Fourier series expansion and Kolmogorov tests, we present a simple method to display probability densities for data drawn from a continuous distribution. It is often more efficient than using histograms.Comment: 5 pages, 4 figures, presented at Computer Simulation Studies XXIV, Athens, GA, 201

The mutational impact of culturing human pluripotent and adult stem cells

Genetic changes acquired during in vitro culture pose a risk for the successful application of stem cells in regenerative medicine. To assess the genetic risks induced by culturing, we determined all mutations in individual human stem cells by whole genome sequencing. Individual pluripotent, intestinal, and liver stem cells accumulate 3.5 ± 0.5, 7.2 ± 1.1 and 8.3 ± 3.6 base substitutions per population doubling, respectively. The annual in vitro mutation accumulation rate of adult stem cells is nearly 40-fold higher than the in vivo mutation accumulation rate. Mutational signature analysis reveals that in vitro induced mutations are caused by oxidative stress. Reducing oxygen tension in culture lowers the mutational load. We use the mutation rates, spectra, and genomic distribution to model the accumulation of oncogenic mutations during typical in vitro expansion, manipulation or screening experiments using human stem cells. Our study provides empirically defined parameters to assess the mutational risk of stem cell based therapies

Polarization Transfer in the ^4He(\vec e,e'\vec p)^3H Reaction up to Q^2 = 2.6 (GeV/c)^2

We have measured the proton recoil polarization in the ^4He(\vec e,e'\vec p)^3H reaction at Q^2 = 0.5, 1.0, 1.6, and 2.6 (GeV/c)^2. The measured ratio of polarization transfer coefficients differs from a fully relativistic calculation, favoring the inclusion of a predicted medium modification of the proton form factors based on a quark-meson coupling model. In contrast, the measured induced polarizations agree reasonably well with the fully relativistic calculation indicating that the treatment of final-state interactions is under control.Comment: 5 pages, 3 figures, uses revtex.sty, submitted to Physical Review Letter

Amyloid Formation by the Pro-Inflammatory S100A8/A9 Proteins in the Ageing Prostate

BACKGROUND: The conversion of soluble peptides and proteins into polymeric amyloid structures is a hallmark of many age-related degenerative disorders, including Alzheimer's disease, type II diabetes and a variety of systemic amyloidoses. We report here that amyloid formation is linked to another major age-related phenomenon--prostate tissue remodelling in middle-aged and elderly men. METHODOLOGY/PRINCIPAL FINDINGS: By using multidisciplinary analysis of corpora amylacea inclusions in prostate glands of patients diagnosed with prostate cancer we have revealed that their major components are the amyloid forms of S100A8 and S100A9 proteins associated with numerous inflammatory conditions and types of cancer. In prostate protease rich environment the amyloids are stabilized by dystrophic calcification and lateral thickening. We have demonstrated that material closely resembling CA can be produced from S100A8/A9 in vitro under native and acidic conditions and shows the characters of amyloids. This process is facilitated by calcium or zinc, both of which are abundant in ex vivo inclusions. These observations were supported by computational analysis of the S100A8/A9 calcium-dependent aggregation propensity profiles. We found DNA and proteins from Escherichia coli in CA bodies, suggesting that their formation is likely to be associated with bacterial infection. CA inclusions were also accompanied by the activation of macrophages and by an increase in the concentration of S100A8/A9 in the surrounding tissues, indicating inflammatory reactions. CONCLUSIONS/SIGNIFICANCE: These findings, taken together, suggest a link between bacterial infection, inflammation and amyloid deposition of pro-inflammatory proteins S100A8/A9 in the prostate gland, such that a self-perpetuating cycle can be triggered and may increase the risk of malignancy in the ageing prostate. The results provide strong support for the prediction that the generic ability of polypeptide chains to convert into amyloids could lead to their involvement in an increasing number of otherwise apparently unrelated diseases, particularly those associated with ageing.Original Publication:Kiran Yanamandra, Oleg Alexeyev, Vladimir Zamotin, Vaibhav Srivastava, Andrei Shchukarev, Ann-Christin Brorsson, Gian Gaetano Tartaglia, Thomas Vogl, Rakez Kayed, Gunnar Wingsle, Jan Olsson, Christopher M Dobson, Anders Bergh, Fredrik Elgh and Ludmilla A Morozova-Roche, Amyloid formation by the pro-inflammatory S100A8/A9 proteins in the ageing prostate., 2009, PloS one, (4), 5, e5562.http://dx.doi.org/10.1371/journal.pone.000556