Increased plasma markers of oxidative stress are associated with coronary heart disease in males with diabetes mellitus and with 10-year risk in a prospective sample of males

Background: Increased oxidative stress is associated with coronary heart disease (CHD). We examined the association between plasma markers of oxidative stress and CHD in a cross-sectional sample of patients with diabetes and prospective CHD risk in a sample of men predominantly without diabetes. Methods: Plasma total antioxidant status (TAOS) and the ratio of oxidized LDL (Ox-LDL) to LDL-cholesterol (LDL-C) were determined in a cross-section of 761 Caucasian individuals with diabetes (UDACS study). Plasma TAOS was also determined in 310 baseline samples from a 10-year prospective cohort of 3012 healthy males (NPHSII). Results: Within UDACS, males with CHD had lower mean (SD) plasma TAOS [no CHD, 43.4 (13.2)%; CHD, 40.3 (13.8)%; P = 0.04]. The prevalence of CHD was higher in the lowest compared with the upper quartiles (32.7% vs 19.7%; P = 0.004). We observed a significant association between plasma Ox-LDL:LDL-C and CHD status [no CHD vs CHD, 16.9 (3.1) vs 19.3 (5.0) units/mmol; P = 0.04], with the prevalence of CHD being higher among men in the upper compared with lower quartiles (18.4% vs 35.1%; P = 0.003). No association was observed in females. In NPHSII, TAOS was lower in those who developed CHD [35.1 (8.0)% vs 37.1 (7.9)%; P = 0.04]. The odds ratio for CHD in the lowest compared with the upper quartile was 1.91 (95% confidence interval, 0.99–3.70; P = 0.04). This remained unchanged after adjustment for classic risk factors. Conclusions: A cross-sectional and prospective association exists between baseline plasma measures of oxidative stress and CHD risk. The association with prospective CHD risk remained after adjustment for "traditional" risk factors, implying an independent role for oxidative stress in CHD risk

OBSERVATIONS ON COLLECTING SCALE INSECTS (HEMIPTERA: COCCOIDEA)

OBSERVATIONS ON COLLECTING SCALE INSECTS (HEMIPTERA: COCCOIDEA). Scale insects have been primarily collected visually. Because scales are usually firmly attached to the host substrate, most mass-collecting techniques are ineffective. This paper provides information on the use of Berlese funnels, DVAC suction, pit-fall traps, sweeping, beating and screening for collecting scale insects and provides observations on how these methods compare with visual collecting methods. Key words: collecting methods, visual methods, pheromone traps, suction traps, lights, vicarious collecting, herbaria specimens, Margarodidae, Ortheziidae, Pseudococcidae, Eriococcidae, Hungary, Africa

Gauge invariant reduction to the light-front

The problem of constructing gauge invariant currents in terms of light-cone bound-state wave functions is solved by utilising the gauging of equations method. In particular, it is shown how to construct perturbative expansions of the electromagnetic current in the light-cone formalism, such that current conservation is satisfied at each order of the perturbation theory.Comment: 12 pages, revtex

Validation of Ultrahigh Dependability for Software-Based Systems

Modern society depends on computers for a number of critical tasks in which failure can have very high costs. As a consequence, high levels of dependability (reliability, safety, etc.) are required from such computers, including their software. Whenever a quantitative approach to risk is adopted, these requirements must be stated in quantitative terms, and a rigorous demonstration of their being attained is necessary. For software used in the most critical roles, such demonstrations are not usually supplied. The fact is that the dependability requirements often lie near the limit of the current state of the art, or beyond, in terms not only of the ability to satisfy them, but also, and more often, of the ability to demonstrate that they are satisfied in the individual operational products (validation). We discuss reasons why such demonstrations cannot usually be provided with the means available: reliability growth models, testing with stable reliability, structural dependability modelling, as well as more informal arguments based on good engineering practice. We state some rigorous arguments about the limits of what can be validated with each of such means. Combining evidence from these different sources would seem to raise the levels that can be validated; yet this improvement is not such as to solve the problem. It appears that engineering practice must take into account the fact that no solution exists, at present, for the validation of ultra-high dependability in systems relying on complex software

The Persistence of Common-Ratio Effects in Multiple-Play Decisions

People often make more rational choices between monetary prospects when their choices will be played out many times rather than just once. For example, previous research has shown that the certainty effect and the possibility effect (two common-ratio effects that violate expected utility theory) are eliminated in multiple-play decisions. This finding is challenged by seven new studies (N = 2391) and two small meta-analyses. Results indicate that, on average, certainty and possibility effects are reduced but not eliminated in multiple-play decisions. Moreover, in our within-participants studies, the certainty and possibility choice patterns almost always remained the modal or majority patterns. Our primary results were not reliably affected by prompts that encouraged a long-run perspective, by participants’ insight into long-run payoffs, or by participants’ numeracy. The persistence of common-ratio effects suggests that the oft-cited benefits of multiple plays for the rationality of decision makers’ choices may be smaller than previously realized

The Persistence of Common-Ratio Effects in Multiple-Play Decisions

People often make more rational choices between monetary prospects when their choices will be played out many times rather than just once. For example, previous research has shown that the certainty effect and the possibility effect (two common-ratio effects that violate expected utility theory) are eliminated in multiple-play decisions. This finding is challenged by seven new studies (N = 2391) and two small meta-analyses. Results indicate that, on average, certainty and possibility effects are reduced but not eliminated in multiple-play decisions. Moreover, in our within-participants studies, the certainty and possibility choice patterns almost always remained the modal or majority patterns. Our primary results were not reliably affected by prompts that encouraged a long-run perspective, by participants’ insight into long-run payoffs, or by participants’ numeracy. The persistence of common-ratio effects suggests that the oft-cited benefits of multiple plays for the rationality of decision makers’ choices may be smaller than previously realized

Non-hermitean delocalization in an array of wells with variable-range widths

Nonhermitean hamiltonians of convection-diffusion type occur in the description of vortex motion in the presence of a tilted magnetic field as well as in models of driven population dynamics. We study such hamiltonians in the case of rectangular barriers of variable size. We determine Lyapunov exponent and wavenumber of the eigenfunctions within an adiabatic approach, allowing to reduce the original d=2 phase space to a d=1 attractor. PACS numbers:05.70.Ln,72.15Rn,74.60.GeComment: 20 pages,10 figure

Evidence for Adiabatic Magnetization of cold Dy_N Clusters

Magnetic properties of Dy_N clusters in a molecular beam generated with a liquid helium cooled nozzle are investigated by Stern-Gerlach experiments. The cluster magnetizations \mu_z are measured as a function of magnetic field (B = 0 - 1.6T) and cluster size (16 < N < 56). The most important observation is the saturation of the magnetization \mu_z(B) at large field strengths. The magnetization approaches saturation following the power law |\mu_z-\mu_0| proportional to 1/\sqrt{B}, where \mu_0 denotes the magnetic moment. This gives evidence for adiabatic magnetization.Comment: 4 pages, 3 figure