Using radiative Z
0→
τ
+τ
−γ
events collected with the OPAL detector at LEP at
s
=M
Z
during 1990–95, a direct study of the electromagnetic current at the
τγ vertex has been performed in terms of the ...anomalous magnetic form factor
F
2 of the
τ lepton. The analysis is based on a data sample of 1429
e
+e
−
→τ
+τ
−γ
events which are examined for a deviation from the expectation with
F
2=0. From the non-observation of anomalous
τ
+τ
−γ
production a limit of
−0.068<F
2<0.065
is obtained. This can also be interpreted as a limit on the electric dipole form factor
F
3 as
|eF
3|<3.7×10
−16
e
cm
.
The above ranges are valid at the 95% confidence level.
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The life expectancy of many patients with sickle cell disease (SCD) is well into the 5th and 6th decade, but this remains extremely variable. Little is known about the biological factors that protect ...certain SCD patients from early demise while others never reach mid-adulthood. Recently, McKerrell and colleagues (2004) compared the clinical and laboratory profiles of SCD patients aged 40 years and over with SCD patients who were between 21 and 30 years of age. Similarly, we have compared clinical and genetic correlates of older SCD patients (50 years and over) with those of younger patients (18–30 years). Among 514 patients in our total study population, 49 (10%) were categorized as “older” and 194 (38%) were categorized as “younger.” Older SCD patients had lower hemoglobin (older: 7.8 ± 1.1 vs. younger: 8.5 ± 1.2, p=0.004), platelet count (older: 372 ± 126 vs. younger: 460 ± 225, p=0.02), MCV (older: 92 ± 12 vs. younger: 89 ± 9, p=0.08), MCHC (older: 33.6 ± 1.4 vs. younger: 34.3 ± 1.8, p=0.05), and WBC (older: 10.2 ± 2.7 vs. younger: 13.1 ± 4.1, p<0.001). Older patients also had lower total bilirubin (p=0.01), and increased alkaline phosphatase (p=0.0002) and creatinine (p=0.0002), which was associated with poorer creatinine clearance (p<0.0001). The older SCD patients also had increased systolic (p<0.0001) and diastolic (p=0.008) blood pressure, decreased O2 saturation (p=0.03), and a history of fewer pain episodes per year requiring medical treatment (p<0.0001). Many of our findings are consistent with those of McKerrell et al. (2004). In order to identify genetic factors associated with longevity in SCD, we examined 155 SNPs in a total of 41 genes, primarily involved in red blood cell adhesion and inflammation pathways. Chi Square tests of association were constructed for the genotypes of each SNP with the two clinical categories: “older” and “younger.” When the number of rare homozygotes was less than 5 individuals, we combined those individuals with the heterozygote individuals for analysis. All p-values are uncorrected for multiple testing. We found putative associations with 5 SNPs in 3 genes. Three non-coding SNPs in Klotho, not in linkage disequilibrium, exhibited different genotype frequencies in the older versus younger SCD patients (p=0.007, p=0.01 and p=0.01). Similarly, a single non-coding SNP in NOS2A (p=0.02) and TGFBR2 (p=0.02) also exhibited significantly different genotype frequencies in the older versus younger patients. These data support the clinical findings in aging SCD patients reported by McKerrell and colleagues (2004), and they also suggest that genetic factors contribute to variability in longevity in SCD. Interestingly, multiple SNPs in Klotho exhibited differing genotype frequencies in older versus younger patients. Mutations in Klotho have been previously associated with aging-related phenotypes in mice. A better understanding of the biological mechanisms associated with longevity in SCD may help identify those at risk for early demise and in need of more specialized medical care.
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GEOZS, IJS, IMTLJ, KILJ, KISLJ, NLZOH, NUK, OILJ, PNG, SAZU, SBCE, SBJE, UILJ, UL, UM, UPCLJ, UPUK, ZAGLJ, ZRSKP
In the next decade, there is an opportunity for very high return on investment of relatively small budgets by elevating the priority of smallsat funding in heliophysics. We've learned in the past ...decade that these missions perform exceptionally well by traditional metrics, e.g., papers/year/\$M (Spence et al. 2022 -- arXiv:2206.02968). It is also well established that there is a "leaky pipeline" resulting in too little diversity in leadership positions (see the National Academies Report at https://www.nationalacademies.org/our-work/increasing-diversity-in-the-leadership-of-competed-space-missions). Prioritizing smallsat funding would significantly increase the number of opportunities for new leaders to learn -- a crucial patch for the pipeline and an essential phase of career development. At present, however, there are far more proposers than the available funding can support, leading to selection ratios that can be as low as 6% -- in the bottom 0.5th percentile of selection ratios across the history of ROSES. Prioritizing SmallSat funding and substantially increasing that selection ratio are the fundamental recommendations being made by this white paper.
Theory of the family enterprise Chrisman, James J; Steier, Lloyd P; Chua, Jess H ...
Entrepreneurship theory and practice,
11/2008, Volume:
32, Issue:
6
Journal Article
Peer reviewed
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BFBNIB, FZAB, GIS, IJS, KILJ, NUK, OILJ, SAZU, SBCE, SBMB, UKNU, UL, UM, UPUK
The discovery of the Toll-like receptors (TLRs) and their importance in the regulation of host responses to infection raised attention to the complex interplay between viral gene products and the ...host innate immune responses in determining the outcome of virus infection. Robust inflammatory cytokine responses are observed in herpes simplex virus (HSV)-infected animals and cells. Our studies have demonstrated that Toll-like receptor 2 (TLR2) activation by HSV results in NF-κB activation with concomitant inflammatory cytokine production and that TLR2 activation plays a critical role in HSV-induced pathology and mortality. Here we demonstrate that the HSV-1 immediate-early ICP0 protein reduces the TLR2-mediated inflammatory response to HSV 1 (HSV-1) infection. Expression of ICP0 alone is sufficient to block TLR2-driven responses to both viral and nonviral ligands at or downstream of the MyD88 adaptor and upstream of p65. ICP0 alone can also reduce the levels of MyD88 and Mal (TIRAP). In HSV-infected cells, the E3 ligase function of ICP0 and cellular proteasomal activity are required for the inhibitory activity. Our results argue for a model in which ICP0 promotes the degradation of TLR adaptor molecules and inhibition of the inflammatory response, much as it inhibits the interferon response by sequestration and degradation of interferon regulatory factor 3 (IRF-3).
Comparative studies have become both more frequent and more important as a means for understanding the biology, behaviour and evolution of mammals. Primates have complex social relationships and ...diverse ecologies, and represent a large species radiation. This book draws together a wide range of experts from fields as diverse as reproductive biology and foraging energetics to place recent field research into a synthetic perspective. The chapters tackle controversial issues in primate biology and behaviour, including the role of brain expansion and infanticide in the evolution of primate behavioural strategies. The book also presents an overview of comparative methodologies as applied to recent primate research which will provide new approaches to comparative research. It will be of particular interest to primatologists, behavioural ecologists and those interested in the evolution of human social behaviour.
The inclusive production rates and differential cross-sections of photons and mesons with a final state containing photons have been measured with the OPAL detector at LEP. The light mesons covered ...by the measurements are the , , , , and a. The particle multiplicities per hadronic Zdecay, extrapolated to the full energy range, are: where the first errors are statistical and the second systematic. In general, the results are in agreement with the predictions of the JETSET and HERWIG Monte Carlo models.
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EMUNI, FIS, FZAB, GEOZS, GIS, IJS, IMTLJ, KILJ, KISLJ, MFDPS, NUK, OBVAL, OILJ, PNG, SAZU, SBCE, SBJE, SBMB, SBNM, UKNU, UL, UM, UPUK, VKSCE, ZAGLJ
Production of events with hadronic and leptonic final states has been measured in \({\rm e^+e^-}\) collisions at centre-of-mass energies of 130–172 GeV, using the OPAL detector at LEP. Cross-sections ...and leptonic forward-backward asymmetries are presented, both including and excluding the dominant production of radiative Z\(\gamma\) events, and compared to Standard Model expectations. The ratio \(R_{\rm b}\) of the cross-section for \({\rm b\bar b}\) production to the hadronic cross-section has been measured. In a model-independent fit to the Z lineshape, the data have been used to obtain an improved precision on the measurement of \(\gamma\)-Z interference. The energy dependence of \(\alpha_{\mathrm{em}}\) has been investigated. The measurements have also been used to obtain limits on extensions of the Standard Model described by effective four-fermion contact interactions, to search for \(t\)-channel contributions from new massive particles and to place limits on gaugino pair production with subsequent decay of the gaugino into a light gluino and a quark pair.
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EMUNI, FIS, FZAB, GEOZS, GIS, IJS, IMTLJ, KILJ, KISLJ, MFDPS, NUK, OBVAL, OILJ, PNG, SAZU, SBCE, SBJE, SBMB, SBNM, UKNU, UL, UM, UPUK, VKSCE, ZAGLJ
Priapism is a complication of sickle cell disease (SCD) that occurs due to obstruction of the corpora cavernosa of the penis. We have studied priapism in relation to several clinical and genetic ...factors in 249 adult male patients with SCD, 92 (37%) of whom reported a positive history of priapism. The mean age of male patients without a history of priapism was 35.2 years (± 10.8 years) compared with a mean age of 36.4 years (± 11.3 years) in male patients with a positive history of priapism. Because of the possible relationship with nitric oxide biology, we examined the co-occurrence of priapism with proteinuria, leg ulcers and stroke. Of the males with a positive history of priapism, 20% also had a history of 2+ or greater proteinuria, compared to a presence of 2+ or greater proteinuria in only 10% of males without a history of priapism (p=0.03). Similarly, 34% of males with a positive history of priapism also had a history of leg ulcers, compared to the presence of leg ulcers in 22% of males without priapism (p=0.03). No statistically significant association between the occurrence of priapism and stroke was observed. In an effort to identify genetic risk factors for priapism, we examined 262 single nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs) in a total of 56 genes, primarily involved in red blood cell adhesion and inflammation pathways. Chi Square tests of association were constructed for the genotypes of each SNP with two clinical categories: patients with a positive history of priapism and patients without a history of priapism. When the frequency of rare homozygotes was less than five individuals, we combined these rare homozygote individuals with heterozygote individuals for analysis. All p-values were uncorrected for multiple testing. We found associations with 12 SNPs in 8 genes: SLC4A2 (p=0.003); ITGAV (p=0.004 and p=0.02 for two different SNPs); F13A1 (p=0.004 and p=0.02 for two different SNPs); AQP1 (p=0.01 and p=0.04 for two different SNPs); TGFBR2 (p=0.01 and p=0.02 for two different SNPs); ADRB2 (p=0.03); MGC (p=0.04); and ARG2 (p<0.05). These genes are involved in a variety of functions, including adhesion, coagulation, signal transduction, NO biology and immune response. We examined 21 non-coding SNPs in the Klotho gene, but we did not find an association between priapism and Klotho, as was recently reported by Nolan and colleagues (2005). The only possible trend for association we observed in Klotho was at marker rs1888057 (p=0.07); we did not observe association with the SNP (rs2249358) (p=0.82) Nolan and colleagues found associated with priapism. These data support our over-arching hypothesis that genetic factors mediate the variability and risk of developing organ-specific complications of SCD. A better understanding of the genetic factors that contribute to the occurrence of complications such as priapism should ultimately lead to a better understanding of SCD pathophysiology as well as to improved treatment for patients with SCD.
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GEOZS, IJS, IMTLJ, KILJ, KISLJ, NLZOH, NUK, OILJ, PNG, SAZU, SBCE, SBJE, UILJ, UL, UM, UPCLJ, UPUK, ZAGLJ, ZRSKP
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