376 research outputs found
Authors' response to: Childhood cancer and nuclear power plants in Switzerland: a census-based cohort study
DNA methylation plays a crucial role during early <i>Nasonia</i> development
Although the role of DNA methylation in insect development is still poorly understood, the number and role of DNA methyltransferases in insects vary strongly between species. DNA methylation appears to be widely present among the social hymenoptera and functional studies in Apis have suggested a crucial role for de novo methylation in a wide variety of developmental processes. The sequencing of three parasitoid Nasonia genomes revealed the presence of three Dnmt1 (Dnmt1a, Dnmt1b and Dnmt1c) genes and one Dnmt2 and Dnmt3 gene, suggesting a role of DNA methylation in Nasonia development. In the present study we show that in Nasonia vitripennis all Dnmt1 messenger RNAs (mRNAs) and Dnmt3 mRNA are maternally provided to the embryo and, of these, Dnmt1a is essential during early embryogenesis. Lowering of maternal Dnmt1a mRNA results in embryonic lethality during the onset of gastrulation. This dependence on maternal Dnmt1a during embryogenesis in an organismal group outside the vertebrates, suggests evolutionary conservation of the function of Dnmt1 during embryogenesis.</p
Authors' response to: Childhood cancer and nuclear power plants in Switzerland: a census-based cohort study
Probing shell structure and shape changes in neutron-rich sulfur isotopes through transient-field g factor measurements on fast radioactive beams of 38S and 40S
The shell structure underlying shape changes in neutron-rich nuclei near N=28
has been investigated by a novel application of the transient field technique
to measure the first-excited state g factors in 38S and 40S produced as fast
radioactive beams. There is a fine balance between proton and neutron
contributions to the magnetic moments in both nuclei. The g factor of deformed
40S does not resemble that of a conventional collective nucleus because spin
contributions are more important than usual.Comment: 10 pages, 6 figures, accepted in PR
XHIP-II: Clusters and associations
Context. In the absence of complete kinematic data it has not previously been
possible to furnish accurate lists of member stars for all moving groups. There
has been an unresolved dispute concerning the apparent inconsistency of the
Hipparcos parallax distance to the Pleiades.
Aims. To find improved candidate lists for clusters and associations
represented among Hipparcos stars, to establish distances, and to cast light on
the Pleiades distance anomaly.
Methods. We use a six dimensional fitting procedure to identify candidates,
and plot CMDs for 20 of the nearest groups. We calculate the mean parallax
distance for all groups.
Results. We identify lists of candidates and calculated parallax distances
for 42 clusters and 45 associations represented within the Hipparcos catalogue.
We find agreement between parallax distance and photometric distances for the
most important clusters. For single stars in the Pleiades we find mean parallax
distance 125.6 \pm 4.2 pc and photometric distance 132 \pm 3 pc calibrated to
nearby groups of similar in age and composition. This gives no reason to doubt
either the Hipparcos database or stellar evolutionary theory.Comment: Accepted for publication in Astronomy Letters, 10 pages, 2 fig
Childhood cancer and nuclear power plants in Switzerland: a census-based cohort study
Background Previous studies on childhood cancer and nuclear power plants (NPPs) produced conflicting results. We used a cohort approach to examine whether residence near NPPs was associated with leukaemia or any childhood cancer in Switzerland. Methods We computed person-years at risk for children aged 0-15 years born in Switzerland from 1985 to 2009, based on the Swiss censuses 1990 and 2000 and identified cancer cases from the Swiss Childhood Cancer Registry. We geo-coded place of residence at birth and calculated incidence rate ratios (IRRs) with 95% confidence intervals (CIs) comparing the risk of cancer in children born 15 km away, using Poisson regression models. Results We included 2925 children diagnosed with cancer during 21 117 524 person-years of follow-up; 953 (32.6%) had leukaemia. Eight and 12 children diagnosed with leukaemia at ages 0-4 and 0-15 years, and 18 and 31 children diagnosed with any cancer were born 15 km away, the IRRs (95% CI) for leukaemia in 0-4 and 0-15 year olds were 1.20 (0.60-2.41) and 1.05 (0.60-1.86), respectively. For any cancer, corresponding IRRs were 0.97 (0.61-1.54) and 0.89 (0.63-1.27). There was no evidence of a dose-response relationship with distance (P > 0.30). Results were similar for residence at diagnosis and at birth, and when adjusted for potential confounders. Results from sensitivity analyses were consistent with main results. Conclusions This nationwide cohort study found little evidence of an association between residence near NPPs and the risk of leukaemia or any childhood cance
Shell structure underlying the evolution of quadrupole collectivity in S-38 and S-40 probed by transient-field g-factor measurements on fast radioactive beams
The shell structure underlying shape changes in neutron-rich nuclei between
N=20 and N=28 has been investigated by a novel application of the transient
field technique to measure the first-excited state g factors in S-38 and S-40
produced as fast radioactive beams. Details of the new methodology are
presented. In both S-38 and S-40 there is a fine balance between the proton and
neutron contributions to the magnetic moments. Shell model calculations which
describe the level schemes and quadrupole properties of these nuclei also give
a satisfactory explanation of the g factors. In S-38 the g factor is extremely
sensitive to the occupation of the neutron p3/2 orbit above the N=28 shell gap
as occupation of this orbit strongly affects the proton configuration. The g
factor of deformed S-40 does not resemble that of a conventional collective
nucleus because spin contributions are more important than usual.Comment: 10 pages, 36 figures, accepted for publication in Physical Review
Shell structure at N=28 near the dripline: spectroscopy of Si, P and S
Measurements of the N=28 isotones 42Si, 43P and 44S using one- and two-proton
knockout reactions from the radioactive beam nuclei 44S and 46Ar are reported.
The knockout reaction cross sections for populating 42Si and 43P and a 184 keV
gamma-ray observed in 43P establish that the d_{3/2} and s_{1/2} proton orbits
are nearly degenerate in these nuclei and that there is a substantial Z=14
subshell closure separating these two orbits from the d_{5/2} orbit. The
increase in the inclusive two-proton knockout cross section from 42Si to 44S
demonstrates the importance of the availability of valence protons for
determining the cross section. New calculations of the two-proton knockout
reactions that include diffractive effects are presented. In addition, it is
proposed that a search for the d_{5/2} proton strength in 43P via a higher
statistics one-proton knockout experiment could help determine the size of the
Z=14 closure.Comment: Phys. Rev. C, in pres
Sociodemographic and regional differences in neonatal and infant mortality in Switzerland: The Swiss National Cohort
SummaryBackgroundDespite a well-funded healthcare system with universal insurance coverage, Switzerland has one of the highest neonatal and infant mortality rates among high-income countries. Identifying avoidable risk factors targeted by evidence-based policies is a public health priority. We describe neonatal and infant mortality in Switzerland from 2011–2018 and explore associations with neonatal and pregnancy-related variables, parental sociodemographic information, regional factors, and socioeconomic position (SEP) using data from a long-term nation-wide cohort study.MethodsWe included 680,077 live births—representing 99.3% of all infants born in Switzerland between January 2011 and December 2018. We deterministically linked the national live birth register with the mortality register and with census and survey data to create a longitudinal dataset of neonatal and pregnancy-related variables; parental sociodemographic information, such as civil status, age, religion, education, nationality; regional factors, such as urbanity, language region; and the Swiss neighbourhood index of SEP (Swiss-SEP index). Information on maternal education was available for a random subset of 242,949 infants. We investigated associations with neonatal and infant mortality by fitting multivariable Poisson regression models with robust standard errors. Several sensitivity analyses assessed the robustness of our findings.ResultsOverall, neonatal mortality rates between 2011 and 2018 were 3.0 per 1000 live births, varying regionally from 3.2 in German-speaking to 2.4 in French-speaking and 2.1 in Italian-speaking Switzerland. For infant mortality, respective rates were 3.7 per 1000 live births overall, varying from 3.9 to 3.3 and 2.9. Adjusting for sex, maternal age, multiple birth and birth rank, neonatal mortality remained significantly associated with language region [rate ratio (RR) 0.72, 95% confidence interval (CI): 0.64–0.80 for French-speaking and RR 0.66, 95% CI: 0.51–0.87 for Italian-speaking region], with marital status (RR 1.55, 95% CI: 1.40–1.71 for unmarried), nationality (RR 1.40, 95% CI: 1.21–1.62 for non-European Economic Area vs. Swiss), and the Swiss-SEP index (RR 1.17, 95% CI: 1.00–1.36 for lowest vs. highest SEP quintile). In the subset, we showed a possible association of neonatal mortality with maternal education (RR 1.24, 95% CI: 0.95–1.61 for compulsory vs tertiary education).ConclusionWe provide detailed evidence about the social patterning of neonatal and infant mortality in Switzerland and reveal important regional differences with about 30% lower risks in French-and Italian-speaking compared with German-speaking regions. Underlying causes for such regional differences, such as cultural, lifestyle, or healthcare-related factors, warrant further exploration to inform and provide an evidence base for public health policies
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