59,219 research outputs found
Measurement of the ratio of prompt χ c to J / ψ production in pp collisions at √s = 7 TeV
Full text linkThe prompt production of charmonium χ c and J / ψ states is studied in proton-proton collisions at a centre-of-mass energy of √s = 7 TeV at the Large Hadron Collider. The χ c and J / ψ mesons are identified through their decays χ c → J / ψ γ and J / ψ → μ + μ - using 36 pb - 1 of data collected by the LHCb detector in 2010. The ratio of the prompt production cross-sections for χ c and J / ψ, σ (χ c → J / ψ γ) / σ (J / ψ), is determined as a function of the J / ψ transverse momentum in the range 2 < p T J / ψ < 15 GeV / c. The results are in excellent agreement with next-to-leading order non-relativistic expectations and show a significant discrepancy compared with the colour singlet model prediction at leading order, especially in the low p T J / ψ region
The public health impact of obesity
No full textThe prevalence of obesity (severe overweight) has been increasing in western societies during the last decades. Epidemiological studies to the public health impact of obesity are therefore warranted. This thesis aimed at describing the long-term and recent time trends of obesity in the Netherlands, and to explore the relations between obesity, mortality, morbidity, and disability.The prevalence of obesity, body mass index (BMI)≥30.0 kg/m 2, increased steadily in Dutch adults between 1974 and 1997. Between 1993 and 1997, the prevalence of obesity was estimated at 9% among men and at 10% among men aged 20-59 years, based on data from the Dutch MORGEN-project. Levels of waist circumference increased more over time and showed even greater seasonal variation than BMI.Obesity measured by BMI was related to increased all-cause mortality in men who never smoked, although relative risks seemed to decrease somewhat with ageing in European men from the Seven Countries Study. Levels of waist circumference identified more men over 55 years of age who never smoked with increased risk of mortality than levels of BMI in the Rotterdam Study.Obesity was related to hospitalisation for coronary heart disease and to medication for chronic conditions in Finnish men and women from the Social Insurance Institution's Mobile Clinic study. In the Mini-Finland Health Survey, obesity was associated with the presence of osteoarthritis, low back pain, shoulder joint impairment and neck pain. In addition, obesity was associated with work disability during a 15 years follow-up and to the presence of difficulties in daily life activities. Relative risks of obesity for morbidity and disability were highest in the youngest Finnish adults studied, and exceeded the relative risk for mortality.Prevention of weight gain (Although obesity was related to increased mortality, obese Finns had more unhealthy life years than Finns with normal weight. During a maximal follow-up period of 15 years until age 65 years, obese men had 0.5, 0.4 and 1.7 extra years of work disability, coronary heart disease and morbidity leading to chronic medication, respectively. Obese women suffered respectively 0.5, 0.4 and 1.3 extra years from these conditions.This thesis provides new evidence based on large epidemiological studies that weight gain prevention programs should get high priority on both the scientific and the political agenda.</font
Centile reference for total energy expenditure in infants from 1 to 12 months
No full textBackground: A knowledge of energy expenditure in infancy is required for the estimation of recommended daily amounts of food energy, for designing artificial infant feeds, and as a reference standard for studies of energy metabolism in disease states. Objectives: The objectives of this study were to construct centile reference charts for total energy expenditure (TEE) in infants across the first year of life. Methods: Repeated measures of TEE using the doubly labeled water technique were made in 162 infants at 1.5, 3, 6, 9 and 12 months. In total, 322 TEE measurements were obtained. The LMS method with maximum penalized likelihood was used to construct the centile reference charts. Centiles were constructed for TEE expressed as MJ/day and also expressed relative to body weight (BW) and fat-free mass (FFM). Results: TEE increased with age and was 1.40,1.86, 2.64, 3.07 and 3.65 MJ/day at 1.5, 3, 6, 9 and 12 months, respectively. The standard deviations were 0.43, 0.47, 0.52, 0.66 and 0.88, respectively. TEE in MJ/kg increased from 0.29 to 0.36 and in MJ/day/kg FFM from 0.36 to 0.48. Conclusions: We have presented centile reference charts for TEE expressed as MJ/day and expressed relative to BW and FFM in infants across the first year of life. There was a wide variation or biological scatter in TEE values seen at all ages. We suggest that these centile charts may be used to assess and possibly quantify abnormal energy metabolism in disease states in infants
Evidence for the decay B0→J/ψω and measurement of the relative branching fractions of meson decays to J/ψη and J/ψη′
Full text linkFirst evidence of the B 0 → J / ψ ω decay is found and the B s 0 → J / ψ η and B s 0 → J / ψ η ′ decays are studied using a dataset corresponding to an integrated luminosity of 1.0 fb -1 collected by the LHCb experiment in proton-proton collisions at a centre-of-mass energy of sqrt(s) = 7 TeV. The branching fractions of these decays are measured relative to that of the B 0 → J / ψ ρ 0 decay:frac(B (B 0 → J / ψ ω), B (B 0 → J / ψ ρ 0)) = 0.89 ± 0.19 (stat) - 0.13 + 0.07 (syst),frac(B (B s 0 → J / ψ η), B (B 0 → J / ψ ρ 0)) = 14.0 ± 1.2 (stat) - 1.5 + 1.1 (syst) - 1.0 + 1.1 (frac(f d, f s)),frac(B (B s 0 → J / ψ η ′), B (B 0 → J / ψ ρ 0)) = 12.7 ± 1.1 (stat) - 1.3 + 0.5 (syst) - 0.9 + 1.0 (frac(f d, f s)), where the last uncertainty is due to the knowledge of f d / f s, the ratio of b-quark hadronization factors that accounts for the different production rate of B 0 and B s 0 mesons. The ratio of the branching fractions of B s 0 → J / ψ η ′ and B s 0 → J / ψ η decays is measured to befrac(B (B s 0 → J / ψ η ′), B (B s 0 → J / ψ η)) = 0.90 ± 0.09 (stat) - 0.02 + 0.06 (syst)
Comparison of measured sleeping metabolic rate and predicted basal metabolic rate during the first year of life: evidence of a bias changing with increasing metabolic rate
No full textObjective: To compare measurements of sleeping metabolic rate (SMR) in infancy with predicted basal metabolic rate (BMR) estimated by the equations of Schofield. Methods: Some 104 serial measurements of SMR by indirect calorimetry were performed in 43 healthy infants at 1.5, 3, 6, 9 and 12 months of age. Predicted BMR was calculated using the weight only (BMR-wo) and weight and height (BMR-wh) equations of Schofield for 0-3-y-olds. Measured SMR values were compared with both predictive values by means of the Bland-Altman statistical test. Results: The mean measured SMR was 1.48 MJ/day. The mean predicted BMR values were 1.66 and 1.47 MJ/day for the weight only and weight and height equations, respectively. The Bland-Altman analysis showed that BMR-wo equation on average overestimated SMR by 0.18 MJ/day (11%) and the BMR-wh equation underestimated SMR by 0.01 MJ/day (1%). However the 95% limits of agreement were wide: - 0.64 to - 0.28MJ/day (28%) for the former equation and - 0.39 to +0.41 MJ/day (27%) for the latter equation. Moreover there was a significant correlation between the mean of the measured and predicted metabolic rate and the difference between them. Conclusions: The wide variation seen in the difference between measured and predicted metabolic rate and the bias probably with age indicates there is a need to measure actual metabolic rate for individual clinical care in this age group
Measurement of the time-dependent CP asymmetry in B0 -> J/ψ KS0 decays
Full text linkThis Letter reports a measurement of the CP violation observables SJ/ψK0S and CJ/ψK0S in the decay channel B0→J/ψK0S performed with 1.0 fb−1 of pp collisions at s√=7 TeV collected by the LHCb experiment. The fit to the data yields SJ/ψK0S=0.73±0.07(stat)±0.04(syst) and CJ/ψK0S=0.03±0.09(stat)±0.01(syst). Both values are consistent with the current world averages and within
expectations from the Standard Model
Letter from J. E. Gavin to Louis C. Cramton regarding Sale of Bright Angel Trail
No full textLetter from J. E. Gavin to Louis C. Cramton regarding the Bright Angel Trail controversy, including newspaper clipping
Plasma fibrinogen in relation to serum insulin, smoking habits and adipose tissue fatty acids in healthy men.
No full textRecent prospective studies have reported an independent association between fibrinogen plasma levels and risk of cardiovascular events. Aim of this study was to investigate the relationships between fibrinogen level and conventional cardiovascular risk factors in a random sample of 38 year-old apparently healthy men (n = 94), and to verify whether the fatty acid composition of the diet might influence those relations. Anthropometric measurements, serum lipids, blood pressure, and smoking habits were evaluated. In addition, fasting and after glucose-load serum glucose and insulin concentrations were measured. The most significant difference in fibrinogen level was found among the tertiles of fasting serum insulin (F-ANOVA = 4.5; P < 0.01) with the highest plasma fibrinogen values in the third insulin tertile, whereas body mass index (BMI), waist/hip circumference ratio (WHR) and serum triglycerides were more weakly related. The current smokers had substantially higher levels of fibrinogen than subjects who never smoked (P < 0.001). A multivariate regression analysis showed that, among the above reported variables, only serum insulin and smoking were independently associated with plasma fibrinogen. Furthermore, as the possible association between fatty acid composition of the diet and fibrinogen level regards, we have examined the fatty acid composition of adipose tissue, as a good and objective index of quality of the dietary fat intake. It was found that, fibrinogen level was not associated with any adipose tissue fatty acid. In conclusion, this study performed in a random sample of healthy men indicates an independent relationship of fasting insulin and smoking to fibrinogen plasma level.</p
Prevalence of overweight, general and central obesity in 50- to 64-year-oldsinvolved in the EPIC cohort
No full textAcute Ethanol Administration Rapidly Increases Phosphorylation of Conventional Protein Kinase C in Specific Mammalian Brain Regions in Vivo
Full text linkBackground
Protein kinase C (PKC) is a family of isoenzymes that regulate a variety of functions in the central nervous system including neurotransmitter release, ion channel activity, and cell differentiation. Growing evidence suggests that specific isoforms of PKC influence a variety of behavioral, biochemical, and physiological effects of ethanol in mammals. The purpose of this study was to determine whether acute ethanol exposure alters phosphorylation of conventional PKC isoforms at a threonine 674 (p-cPKC) site in the hydrophobic domain of the kinase, which is required for its catalytic activity.
Methods
Male rats were administered a dose range of ethanol (0, 0.5, 1, or 2 g/kg, intragastric) and brain tissue was removed 10 minutes later for evaluation of changes in p-cPKC expression using immunohistochemistry and Western blot methods.
Results
Immunohistochemical data show that the highest dose of ethanol (2 g/kg) rapidly increases p-cPKC immunoreactivity specifically in the nucleus accumbens (core and shell), lateral septum, and hippocampus (CA3 and dentate gyrus). Western blot analysis further showed that ethanol (2 g/kg) increased p-cPKC expression in the P2 membrane fraction of tissue from the nucleus accumbens and hippocampus. Although p-cPKC was expressed in numerous other brain regions, including the caudate nucleus, amygdala, and cortex, no changes were observed in response to acute ethanol. Total PKC? immunoreactivity was surveyed throughout the brain and showed no change following acute ethanol injection
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