1,790 research outputs found
D-sJ(+)(2632): An excellent candidate of tetraquarks
No full textWe analyze various possible interpretations of the narrow state D-sJ(2632) which lies 100 MeV above threshold. This interesting state decays mainly into D(s)eta instead of (DK+)-K-0. If this relative branching ratio is further confirmed by other experimental groups, we point out that the identification of D-sJ(2632) either as a c (s) over bar state or more generally as a (3) over bar state in the SU(3)(F) representation is probably problematic. Instead, such an anomalous decay pattern strongly indicates D-sJ(2632) is a four-quark state in the SU(3)(F) 15 representation with the quark content 1/2root2 (ds (d) over bar +sd (d) over bar +su (u) over bar -2ss (s) over bar)(c) over bar. We discuss its partners in the same multiplet and the similar four-quark states composed of a bottom quark B-sJ(0)(5832). Experimental searches of other members especially those exotic ones are strongly called for.Astronomy & AstrophysicsPhysics, Particles & FieldsSCI(E)22ARTICLE9null7
Determining the need for an expanded fitness component in the Fire Science Program at Milwaukee Area Technical College
No full textIncludes bibliographical references
Serum 25-hydroxyvitamin D and cognitive decline in the very old: The Newcastle 85+ study
No full textBackground and purpose:
Studies investigating the association between 25-hydroxyvitamin D [25(OH)D] and cognition in the very old (85+) are lacking.
Methods:
Cross-sectional (baseline) and prospective data (up to 3 years follow-up) from 775 participants in the Newcastle 85+ Study were analysed for global (measured by the Standardized Mini-Mental State Examination) and attention-specific (measured by the attention battery of the Cognitive Drug Research test) cognitive performance in relation to season-specific 25(OH)D quartiles.
Results:
Those in the lowest and highest season-specific 25(OH)D quartiles had an increased risk of impaired prevalent (1.66, 95% confidence interval 1.06–2.60, P = 0.03; 1.62, 95% confidence interval 1.02–2.59, P = 0.04, respectively) but not incident global cognitive functioning or decline in functioning compared with those in the middle quartiles adjusted for sociodemographic, health and lifestyle confounders. Random effects models showed that participants belonging to the lowest and highest 25(OH)D quartiles, compared with those in the middle quartiles, had overall slower (log-transformed) attention reaction times for Choice Reaction Time (lowest, b = 0.023, P = 0.01; highest, b = 0.021, P = 0.02), Digit Vigilance Task (lowest, b = 0.009, P = 0.05; highest,b = 0.01, P = 0.02) and Power of Attention (lowest, b = 0.017, P = 0.02;highest, b = 0.022, P = 0.002) and greater Reaction Time Variability (lowest,b = 0.021, P = 0.02; highest, b = 0.02, P = 0.03). The increased risk of worse global cognition and attention amongst those in the highest quartile was not observed in non-users of vitamin D supplements/medication.
Conclusion:
Low and high season-specific 25(OH)D quartiles were associated with prevalent cognitive impairment and poorer overall performance in attention-specific tasks over 3 years in the very old, but not with global cognitive decline or incident impairment
Diphtheria-like disease caused by Toxigenic Corynebacterium ulcerans strain
No full textToxigenic Corynebacterium ulcerans is an increasingly reported cause of diphtheria in the United Kingdom and is often associated with a zoonotic origin (1,2). Here, we report a case of diphtheria caused by toxigenic C. ulcerans in a woman, 51 years of age, from Scotland, UK, who was admitted to a hospital in August 2013 with a swollen, sore throat and a gray-white membrane over the pharyngeal surface. The patient had returned from a 2-week family holiday in the state of Florida, United States, before the admission and also reported recent treatment of a pet dog for pharyngitis. The patient was believed to have been vaccinated against diphtheria during childhood. She was immediately admitted to an isolation ward and treated with a combination of clindamycin, penicillin, and metronidazole
Nano-graphene oxide and vitamin D delivery
No full textOne of the Most Interesting and Recent Insights into Biomimetic Scaffold Nano-Biomaterial is Smart Scaffolding with Targeted Drug Delivery Ability. in Recent Decades, the Use of Graphene-Based Materials, Such as Nano-Graphene Oxide (NGO), as a Drug Carrier with Amphiphilic Properties, Has Attracted Considerable Attention of Scientists and Researchers in This Field. in Addition, One of the Important Global Problems is Increased Vitamin D Deficiency, Particularly in Pregnant and Postmenopausal Women. Therefore, in This Work, by Considering Hydrophobic Properties of Vitamin D, We Attempted to Examine its Loading and Release Both in the Presence of Surfactant and Surfactant-Free NGO-Aqueous Solution. at First, NGO Powder Was Synthesized by the Modified Hummer\u27s Method. after the Preparation of Vitamin D and Tween 80 (TW) Solution, They Were Added to NGO Aqueous Solution. Simultaneously, the Next Vitamin D and NGO Aqueous Solution Was Prepared in a Surfactant-Free Mode. in Order to Evaluate the Loading Content, Both Solutions Were Centrifuged, and their Supernatant Was Analyzed by UV-Visible Spectroscopy. Additionally, FTIR Spectroscopy Was Employed to Determine the TW 80 Effects on Vitamin D and NGO. the Results Have Shown that Vitamin D Loading in Surfactant-Free Solution Was Approximately 0% While in the Presence of TW 80 It Was 75.37% ± 4.12. Therefore, the Combination of Vitamin D, TW 80, and NGO Can Be a Suitable Candidate for Carrying Hydrophobic Drugs in Smart Scaffolding, Especially in Bone Tissue Engineering
Preclinical evaluation of lime juice as a topical microbicide candidate
No full textBackground: The continued growth of the global HIV epidemic highlights the urgent need to develop novel prevention strategies to reduce HIV transmission. The development of topical microbicides is likely to take a number of years before such a product would be widely available.
This has resulted in a call for the rapid introduction of simpler vaginal intervention strategies in the interim period. One suggested practice would be vaginal douching with natural products including lime or lemon juice. Here we present a comprehensive preclinical evaluation of lime juice (LiJ) as a potential intervention strategy against HIV.
Results: Pre-treatment of HIV with LiJ demonstrated direct virucidal activity, with 10% juice inactivating the virus within 5 minutes. However, this activity was significantly reduced in the presence of seminal plasma, where inactivation required maintaining a 1:1 mixture of neat LiJ and seminal plasma for more than 5 minutes. Additionally, LiJ demonstrated both time and dosedependent
toxicity towards cervicovaginal epithelium, where exposure to 50% juice caused 75–90% toxicity within 5 minutes increasing to 95% by 30 minutes. Cervicovaginal epithelial cell monolayers were more susceptible to the effects of LiJ with 8.8% juice causing 50% toxicity after 5
minutes. Reconstructed stratified cervicovaginal epithelium appeared more resilient to LiJ toxicity with 30 minutes exposure to 50% LiJ having little effect on viability. However viability was reduced by 75% and 90% following 60 and 120 minutes exposure. Furthermore, repeat application (several times daily) of 25% LiJ caused 80–90% reduction in viability.
Conclusion: These data demonstrate that the virucidal activity of LiJ is severely compromised in the presence of seminal plasma. Potentially, to be effective against HIV in vivo, women would need to apply a volume of neat LiJ equal to that of an ejaculate, and maintain this ratio vaginally for 5–30 minutes after ejaculation. Data presented here suggest that this would have significant adverse
effects on the genital mucosa. These data raise serious questions about the plausibility and safety of such a prevention approach
Book review: Contemporary Scottish plays, edited by Trish Reid
No full textBook review: Contemporary Scottish plays, edited by Trish Reid. London:
Bloomsbury, 2014; ISBN: 9781472574435 (£17.99)Publisher PD
Cusped hyperbolic 3-manifolds with a compact totally geodesic boundary
No full textThis thesis is a study on the volumes of cusped hyperbolic 3-manifolds with a compact totally geodesic boundary. Its main goal is to identify the smallest member in the class of such manifolds. Author outlines a process that zeroes in on a manifold which was preidentified as a candidate for the smallest manifold in this class. Most of the computations are parameterized in terms of ; a variable closely associated with the volumes of manifolds with geodesic boundary. Chapter 3 describes the construction of a lower bound for the volumes of manifolds in in terms of their values. In chapter 4, the relation between the geometry of a manifold in is leveraged to obtain a lower bound for its value. Results in those two chapters yield an interval of possible values for the smallest manifold in . The remainder of the thesis investigate this interval extensively
Constraints on scalar dark matter from direct experimental searches
No full textThe standard model (SM) plus a real gauge-singlet scalar field dubbed darkon (SM+D) is the simplest model possessing a weakly interacting massive particle (WIMP) dark-matter candidate. The upper limits for the WIMP-nucleon elastic cross section as a function of WIMP mass from the recent XENON10 and CDMS II experiments rule out darkon mass ranges from 10 to (50, 70, 75) GeV for Higgs-boson masses of (120, 200, 350) GeV, respectively. This may exclude the possibility of the darkon providing an explanation for the gamma-ray excess observed in the EGRET data. We show that by extending the SM+D to a two-Higgs-doublet model plus a darkon the experimental constraints on the WIMP-nucleon interactions can be circumvented due to suppression occurring at some values of the product tan alpha tan beta, with alpha being the neutral-Higgs mixing angle and tan beta the ratio of vacuum expectation values of the Higgs doublets. We also comment on the implication of the darkon model for Higgs searches at the LHC.Astronomy & AstrophysicsPhysics, Particles & FieldsSCI(E)0ARTICLE2null7
Politics & Other Mistakes piece on the race for the U.S. Senate. The author d
No full textPolitics & Other Mistakes piece on the race for the U.S. Senate. The author discusses recent allegations by Republican candidate Susan Collins that Democratic candiate Joseph Brennan hired operatives to investigate her background
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