1,489 research outputs found
Gravitational Radiation from Post-Newtonian Sources and Inspiralling Compact Binaries
The article reviews the current status of a theoretical approach to the
problem of the emission of gravitational waves by isolated systems in the
context of general relativity. Part A of the article deals with general
post-Newtonian sources. The exterior field of the source is investigated by
means of a combination of analytic post-Minkowskian and multipolar
approximations. The physical observables in the far-zone of the source are
described by a specific set of radiative multipole moments. By matching the
exterior solution to the metric of the post-Newtonian source in the near-zone
we obtain the explicit expressions of the source multipole moments. The
relationships between the radiative and source moments involve many non-linear
multipole interactions, among them those associated with the tails (and
tails-of-tails) of gravitational waves. Part B of the article is devoted to the
application to compact binary systems. We present the equations of binary
motion, and the associated Lagrangian and Hamiltonian, at the third
post-Newtonian (3PN) order beyond the Newtonian acceleration. The
gravitational-wave energy flux, taking consistently into account the
relativistic corrections in the binary moments as well as the various tail
effects, is derived through 3.5PN order with respect to the quadrupole
formalism. The binary's orbital phase, whose prior knowledge is crucial for
searching and analyzing the signals from inspiralling compact binaries, is
deduced from an energy balance argument.Comment: 109 pages, 1 figure; this version is an update of the Living Review
article originally published in 2002; available on-line at
http://www.livingreviews.org
Diabetes status and post-load plasma glucose concentration in relation to site-specific cancer mortality: findings from the original Whitehall study
ObjectiveWhile several studies have reported on the relation of diabetes status with pancreatic cancer risk, the predictive value of this disorder for other malignancies is unclear. Methods: The Whitehall study, a 25year follow-up for mortality experience of 18,006 men with data on post-challenge blood glucose and self-reported diabetes, allowed us to address these issues. Results: There were 2158 cancer deaths at follow-up. Of the 15 cancer outcomes, diabetes status was positively associated with mortality from carcinoma of the pancreas and liver, while the relationship with lung cancer was inverse, after controlling for a range of potential covariates and mediators which included obesity and socioeconomic position. After excluding deaths occurring in the first 10years of follow-up to examine the effect of reverse causality, the magnitude of the relationships for carcinoma of the pancreas and lung was little altered, while for liver cancer it was markedly attenuated. Conclusions: In the present study, diabetes status was related to pancreatic, liver, and lung cancer risk. Cohorts with serially collected data on blood glucose and covariates are required to further examine this area
Tamoxifen resistance in early breast cancer: statistical modelling of tissue markers to improve risk prediction
BACKGROUND: For over two decades, the Nottingham Prognostic Index (NPI) has been used in the United Kingdom to calculate risk scores and inform management about breast cancer patients. It is derived using just three clinical variables - nodal involvement, tumour size and grade. New scientific methods now make cost-effective measurement of many biological characteristics of tumour tissue from breast cancer biopsy samples possible. However, the number of potential explanatory variables to be considered presents a statistical challenge. The aim of this study was to investigate whether in ER+ tamoxifen-treated breast cancer patients, biological variables can add value to NPI predictors, to provide improved prognostic stratification in terms of overall recurrence-free survival (RFS) and also in terms of remaining recurrence free while on tamoxifen treatment (RFoT). A particular goal was to enable the discrimination of patients with a very low risk of recurrence. METHODS: Tissue samples of 401 cases were analysed by microarray technology, providing biomarker data for 72 variables in total, from AKT, BAD, HER, MTOR, PgR, MAPK and RAS families. Only biomarkers screened as potentially informative (i.e., exhibiting univariate association with recurrence) were offered to the multivariate model. The multiple imputation method was used to deal with missing values, and bootstrap sampling was used to assess internal validity and refine the model. RESULTS: Neither the RFS nor RFoT models derived included Grade, but both had better predictive and discrimination ability than NPI. A slight difference was observed between models in terms of biomarkers included, and, in particular, the RFoT model alone included HER2. The estimated 7-year RFS rates in the lowest-risk groups by RFS and RFoT models were 95 and 97%, respectively, whereas the corresponding rate for the lowest-risk group of NPI was 89%. CONCLUSION: The findings demonstrate considerable potential for improved prognostic modelling by incorporation of biological variables into risk prediction. In particular, the ability to identify a low-risk group with minimal risk of recurrence is likely to have clinical appeal. With larger data sets and longer follow-up, this modelling approach has the potential to enhance an understanding of the interplay of biological characteristics, treatment and cancer recurrence. British Journal of Cancer (2010) 102, 1503 - 1510. doi:10.1038/sj.bjc.6605627 www.bjcancer.co
Force spectroscopy in studying infection
Biophysical force spectroscopy tools - for example optical tweezers, magnetic
tweezers, atomic force microscopy, - have been used to study elastic,
mechanical, conformational and dynamic properties of single biological
specimens from single proteins to whole cells to reveal information not
accessible by ensemble average methods such as X-ray crystallography, mass
spectroscopy, gel electrophoresis and so on. Here we review the application of
these tools on a range of infection-related questions from antibody-inhibited
protein processivity to virus-cell adhesion. In each case we focus on how the
instrumental design tailored to the biological system in question translates
into the functionality suitable for that particular study. The unique insights
that force spectroscopy has gained to complement knowledge learned through
population averaging techniques in interrogating biomolecular details prove to
be instrumental in therapeutic innovations such as those in structure-based
drug design
Patterns of Childhood Trauma and Psychological Distress among Injecting Heroin Users in China
Background: Childhood trauma has been reported as a possible cause of future substance abuse in some countries. This study reports the prevalence of childhood trauma and examines its association with psychological distress among injecting drug users from mainland China. Methodology: The study was conducted in three government-operated drug rehabilitation facilities in Shanghai, China in 2007. The Early Trauma Inventory Self Report-Short Form (ETISR-SF) was used to evaluate 4 types (general, emotional, physical and sexual) and severity of childhood trauma, and the Symptom Checklist-90-Revised (SCL-90-R) to evaluate psychological distress. Principal Findings: Among 341 injecting drug users who completed the study, about 80 % reported one or more types o
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