Abstract
We present the results of a National Science Foundation Project Scoping Workshop, the purpose of which was to assess the current status of calculations for the nuclear matrix elements ...governing neutrinoless double-beta decay and determine if more work on them is required. After reviewing important recent progress in the application of effective field theory, lattice quantum chromodynamics, and
ab initio
nuclear-structure theory to double-beta decay, we discuss the state of the art in nuclear-physics uncertainty quantification and then construct a roadmap for work in all these areas to fully complement the increasingly sensitive experiments in operation and under development. The roadmap includes specific projects in theoretical and computational physics as well as the use of Bayesian methods to quantify both intra- and inter-model uncertainties. The goal of this ambitious program is a set of accurate and precise matrix elements, in all nuclei of interest to experimentalists, delivered together with carefully assessed uncertainties. Such calculations will allow crisp conclusions from the observation or non-observation of neutrinoless double-beta decay, no matter what new physics is at play.
Delayed Sleep-Wake Phase Disorder (DSWPD) is characterised by sleep initiation insomnia when attempting sleep at conventional times and difficulty waking at the required time for daytime commitments. ...Although there are published therapeutic guidelines for the administration of melatonin for DSWPD, to our knowledge, randomised controlled trials are lacking. This trial tested the efficacy of 0.5 mg melatonin, combined with behavioural sleep-wake scheduling, for improving sleep initiation in clinically diagnosed DSWPD patients with a delayed endogenous melatonin rhythm relative to patient-desired (or -required) bedtime (DBT).
This randomised, placebo-controlled, double-blind clinical trial was conducted in an Australian outpatient DSWPD population. Following 1-wk baseline, clinically diagnosed DSWPD patients with delayed melatonin rhythm relative to DBT (salivary dim light melatonin onset DLMO after or within 30 min before DBT) were randomised to 4-wk treatment with 0.5 mg fast-release melatonin or placebo 1 h before DBT for at least 5 consecutive nights per week. All patients received behavioural sleep-wake scheduling, consisting of bedtime scheduled at DBT. The primary outcome was actigraphic sleep onset time. Secondary outcomes were sleep efficiency in the first third of time in bed (SE T1) on treatment nights, subjective sleep-related daytime impairment (Patient Reported Outcomes Measurement Information System PROMIS), PROMIS sleep disturbance, measures of daytime sleepiness, clinician-rated change in illness severity, and DLMO time.
Between September 13, 2012 and September 1, 2014, 307 participants were registered; 116 were randomised to treatment (intention-to-treat n = 116; n = 62 males; mean age, 29.0 y). Relative to baseline and compared to placebo, sleep onset occurred 34 min earlier (95% confidence interval CI -60 to -8) in the melatonin group. SE T1 increased; PROMIS sleep-related impairment, PROMIS sleep disturbance, insomnia severity, and functional disability decreased; and a greater proportion of patients showed more than minimal clinician-rated improvement following melatonin treatment (52.8%) compared to placebo (24.0%) (P < 0.05). The groups did not differ in the number of nights treatment was taken per protocol. Post-treatment DLMO assessed in a subset of patients (n = 43) was not significantly different between groups. Adverse events included light-headedness, daytime sleepiness, and decreased libido, although rates were similar between treatment groups. The clinical benefits or safety of melatonin with long-term treatment were not assessed, and it remains unknown whether the same treatment regime would benefit patients experiencing DSWPD sleep symptomology without a delay in the endogenous melatonin rhythm.
In this study, melatonin treatment 1 h prior to DBT combined with behavioural sleep-wake scheduling was efficacious for improving objective and subjective measures of sleep disturbances and sleep-related impairments in DSWPD patients with delayed circadian phase relative to DBT. Improvements were achieved largely through the sleep-promoting effects of melatonin, combined with behavioural sleep-wake scheduling.
This trial was registered with the Australian New Zealand Clinical Trials Registry, ACTRN12612000425897.
Celotno besedilo
Dostopno za:
DOBA, IZUM, KILJ, NUK, PILJ, PNG, SAZU, SIK, UILJ, UKNU, UL, UM, UPUK
Acute decompensated heart failure (ADHF) was a frequent common outcome in SPRINT (Systolic Blood Pressure Intervention Trial). We examined whether there was differential reduction in ADHF events from ...intensive blood pressure BP treatment among the 6 key, prespecified subgroups in SPRINT: age ≥75 years, prior cardiovascular disease, chronic kidney disease, women, black race, and 3 levels of baseline systolic BP (≤132 versus >132 to <145 versus ≥145 mm Hg).
ADHF was defined as hospitalization for ADHF, confirmed and formally adjudicated by a blinded events committee using standardized protocols. At 3.29 years follow-up, there were 103 ADHF events (2.2%) among 4683 standard arm participants and 65 ADHF events (1.4%) among 4678 intensive arm participants (Cox proportional hazards ratio, 0.63; 95% confidence interval, 0.46-0.85;
value =0.003). In multivariable analyses, including treatment arm, baseline covariates that were significant predictors for ADHF included chronic kidney disease, cardiovascular disease, age≥75 years, body mass index, and higher systolic BP. The beneficial effect of the intervention on incident ADHF was consistent across all prespecified subgroups. Participants who had incident ADHF had markedly increased risk of subsequent cardiovascular events, including a 27-fold increase (
<0.001) in cardiovascular death.
Targeting a systolic BP<120 mm Hg, compared with <140 mm Hg, significantly reduced ADHF events, and the benefit was similar across all key, prespecified subgroups. Participants who developed ADHF had markedly increased risk for subsequent cardiovascular events and death, highlighting the importance of strategies aimed at prevention of ADHF, especially intensive BP reduction.
URL: http://www.clinicaltrials.gov. Unique identifier: NCT01206062.
•Measurements and predictions of mechanical response and texture are reported for Ta–10W.•Polycrystal model for BCC metals that includes local non-Schmid effects is presented.•Strain-rate and ...temperature effects are included via Peierls stress and dislocations.•Strong effects of strain rate and temperature on plastic anisotropy are predicted.
In this work, we present a multiscale physically based constitutive law for predicting the mechanical response and texture evolution of body-centered cubic (BCC) metals as a function of strain-rate and temperature. In the model, deformation of individual single crystals results not only from the resolved shear stress along the direction of slip (Schmid law) but also from shear stresses resolved along directions orthogonal to the slip direction as well as the three normal stress components (non-Schmid effects). We account for coupled Schmid and non-Schmid effects through the modification of the resolved shear stress for both 1/2〈11¯1〉{110} and 1/2〈111¯〉{112} slip systems and the modification of the slip resistance for 1/2〈111¯〉{112} slip systems. The single crystal model is implemented into a self-consistent homogenization scheme containing a hardening law for crystallographic slip. The hardening law is based on the evolution of dislocation densities that incorporates strain-rate and temperature effects through the Peierls stress, thermally activated recovery, dislocation substructure formation and dislocation interactions. The polycrystal model is calibrated and validated using a set of mechanical and texture data collected on a tantalum–tungsten alloy, Ta–10W, at temperatures ranging from 298K to 673K and strain-rates from 10−3s−1 to 2400s−1. We show the model effectively captures the anisotropic hardening rate and texture evolution for all data using a single set of single-crystal hardening parameters. Comparisons between predictions and measured data allow us to discuss the role of slip on {110} and {112} in determining plasticity and texture evolution in Ta–10W.
Background
Physical activity (PA) reduces the rate of mobility disability, compared with health education (HE), in at risk older adults. It is important to understand aspects of performance ...contributing to this benefit.
Objective
To evaluate intervention effects on tertiary physical performance outcomes.
Design
The Lifestyle Interventions and Independence for Elders (LIFE) was a multi‐centered, single‐blind randomized trial of older adults.
Setting
Eight field centers throughout the United States.
Participants
1635 adults aged 78.9 ± 5.2 years, 67.2% women at risk for mobility disability (Short Physical Performance Battery SPPB <10).
Interventions
Moderate PA including walking, resistance and balance training compared with HE consisting of topics relevant to older adults.
Outcomes
Grip strength, SPPB score and its components (balance, 4 m gait speed, and chair‐stands), as well as 400 m walking speed.
Results
Total SPPB score was higher in PA versus HE across all follow‐up times (overall P = .04) as was the chair‐stand component (overall P < .001). No intervention effects were observed for balance (overall P = .12), 4 m gait speed (overall P = .78), or grip strength (overall P = .62). However, 400 m walking speed was faster in PA versus HE group (overall P =<.001). In separate models, 29% of the rate reduction of major mobility disability in the PA versus HE group was explained by change in SPPB score, while 39% was explained by change in the chair stand component.
Conclusion
Lower extremity performance (SPPB) was significantly higher in the PA compared with HE group. Changes in chair‐stand score explained a considerable portion of the effect of PA on the reduction of major mobility disability–consistent with the idea that preserving muscle strength/power may be important for the prevention of major mobility disability.
Objective
This study aimed to determine the impact of dietary weight loss (WL) plus aerobic exercise (EX) and a “move more, more often” approach to activity promotion (SitLess; SL) on WL and ...maintenance.
Methods
Low‐active older adults (age 65‐86 years) with obesity were randomized to WL+EX, WL+SL, or WL+EX+SL. Participants received a social‐cognitive group‐mediated behavioral WL program for 6 months, followed by a 12‐month maintenance period. EX participants received guided walking exercise with the goal of walking 150 min/wk. SL attempted to achieve a step goal by moving frequently during the day. The primary outcome was body weight at 18 months, with secondary outcomes including weight regain from 6 to 18 months and objectively assessed physical activity and sedentary behavior at each time point.
Results
All groups demonstrated significant WL over 6 months (p < 0.001), with no group differences. Groups that received SL improved total activity time (p ≤ 0.05), and those who received EX improved moderate‐to‐vigorous activity time (p = 0.003). Over the 12‐month follow‐up period, those who received WL+EX demonstrated greater weight regain (5.2 kg; 95% CI: 3.5‐6.9) relative to WL+SL (2.4 kg; 95% CI: 0.8‐4.0).
Conclusions
Pairing dietary WL with a recommendation to accumulate physical activity contributed to similar WL and less weight regain compared with traditional aerobic exercise.
This paper summarizes the development of a technique of using miniature bulge test combined with three-dimensional digital image correlation (3D-DIC) for measuring energy release rate or fracture ...toughness of bimaterial interface of thin metal foils. The energy release rate associated with the HIPed aluminum/aluminum interfacial delamination is determined experimentally using the proposed technique. Detailed discussions of the schemes of preparing and conducting the bulge test, and computing various quantities required for the determination of the energy release rate are presented.
The secondary metabolism of plants is affected by several factors, including the type of cultivation and light, which directly interfere with photosynthesis, causing changes in the content and ...composition of secondary plant metabolites. Thus, this study sought to answer whether the light lengths of red light emitting diodes (LED), as well as different cultivation methods, can cause changes in the chemical composition of the essential oil of
Acmella oleracea
. The experimental design was divided into four treatments. T1: in vitro using LED lights for indoor cultivation; T2: in vitro with red LED light; T3: in pot with LED lights for indoor cultivation and T4: in pot with red LED light. All treatments were kept in a biochemical oxygen demand oven for 45 days. Leaf material was collected, essential oil was extracted by hydrodistillation, with subsequent chemical characterization by gas chromatography coupled with mass spectrometry (GC/MS). The results showed that
trans
-cariophyllene (13.04% and 8.89%) and 2-tridecanone (16.45% and 15.09%) compounds were directly affected by red LED light, in both in vitro (T2) and in pot (T4) treatments. The major compound α-cadinol (18.75%) and 4-epi-cubedol (29.11%) were directly affected by the treatment T3. The results indicated that red light and cultivation methods significantly influenced the chemical composition of
A
.
oleracea
essential oil.
Key message
Red LED light affected the production of secondary metabolites in
Acmella oleracea
.
Trans
-cariophyllene and 2-tridecanone were affected by red LED light in both cultivation treatments.
Background Cognitive function and physical performance are associated, but the common sequence of cognitive and physical decline remains unclear. Methods In the Women’s Health Initiative Memory Study ...(WHIMS) clinical trial, we examined associations at baseline and over a 6-year follow-up period between the Modified Mini-Mental State (3MS) Examination and three physical performance measures (PPMs): gait speed (meters/second), chair stands (number of stands in 15 seconds), and grip strength (kilograms). Using mixed models, we examined the baseline 3MS as predictor of change in PPM, change in the 3MS as predictor of change in PPM, and baseline PPM as predictors of 3MS change. Results Among 1,793 women (mean age = 70.3 years, 89% white, and mean 3MS score = 95.1), PPM were weakly correlated with 3MS—gait speed: r = .06, p = .02; chair stands: r = .09, p < .001; and grip strength: r = .10, p < .001. Baseline 3MS score was associated with subsequent PPM decline after adjustment for demographics, comorbid conditions, medications, and lifestyle factors. For every SD (4.2 points) higher 3MS score, 0.04 SD (0.04 m/s) less gait speed and 0.05 SD (0.29 kg) less grip strength decline is expected over 6 years (p ≤ .01 both). Changes in 3MS and PPM were associated, particularly with chair stands and grip strength (p < .003 both). Baseline PPMs were not associated with subsequent 3MS change. Conclusions Baseline global cognitive function and change in global cognitive function were associated with physical performance change, but baseline physical performance was not associated with cognitive change in this cohort. These analyses support the hypothesis that cognitive decline on average precedes or co-occurs with physical performance decline.
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