We have investigated the interactions of 10.6 GeV/n Au in nuclear emulsion. Two methods of separating interactions into those with hydrogen, light (C,N,O) and heavy (Ag,Br) target nuclei were used, ...giving almost identical results, which strengthened our confidence in the correctness of these methods. We also measured the angular distributions of singly and multiply charged relativistic particles emitted from the interaction vertices and the charges of the multiply charged projectile fragments. The fragmentation of the projectile Au nuclei and of the target nuclei were analyzed. The multiparticle production was studied as a function of the mass of the target nucleus. The multiplicity and the pseudorapidity distributions of relativistic singly charged particles were compared with the predictions of the RQMD Model.
In several areas along the Norwegian coast local fishermen claim that wild migrating Atlantic cod (
Gadus morhua L.) have changed their spawning migratory behaviour following establishment of salmon ...farms, and no longer enter their natural spawning grounds in the fjords. This has created a heated debate in Norway and, in some areas, passed down a moratorium on establishing new salmon farms. Research has so far not been able to show a causal connection, but it has been suggested that water-soluble odorants from high density salmon stocks in commercial fish farms might be responsible for the avoidance of areas with fish farming and abandonment of nearby traditional spawning grounds. The aim of this study was to test this hypothesis by studying the spatiotemporal distribution of wild migrating cod tagged with acoustic transmitters using an array of automatic listening stations in Øksfjord, a Norwegian fjord with intensive fish farming and traditional spawning grounds for cod. The tagged cod were released either in the outer parts of Øksfjord, i.e. in the area they were caught, or in the inner part of the fjord close to their traditional spawning areas. The olfactory sense was physically blocked for 50% of the fish. Only one cod released in the outer part of the fjord visited the traditional spawning grounds. The majority of the cod that were released in the inner part of the fjord remained in this area for approximately three weeks before they left the fjord. There were no differences in spatiotemporal distribution between cod with intact and cod with blocked olfactory sense. Thus, the results provided no evidence that migrating wild cod avoid areas with fish farming as a response to odorants, but the results do not
per se contradict the fishermen's observation that coastal cod have changed their migratory pattern in this fjord.
Background
The cardiovascular benefit from n‐3 polyunsaturated fatty acids (PUFAs) after acute myocardial infarction (AMI) is controversial, and the importance of serum eicosapentaenoic acid (EPA) ...and docosahexaenoic acid (DHA) concentrations for clinical events is unclear.
Objectives
To assess changes in EPA and DHA serum concentrations during n‐3 PUFA supplementation and their association with incident cardiovascular events.
Methods
In the OMEMI trial, elderly patients with a recent AMI were randomized to 1.8 g/day of EPA/DHA or control (corn oil) for 2 years. The primary outcome was a composite of AMI, coronary revascularization, stroke, heart failure hospitalization, or all‐cause death (major adverse cardiovascular event MACE) and the secondary outcome was new‐onset atrial fibrillation (AF).
Results
EPA and DHA measurements were available in 881 (92% of survivors) participants at randomization and study completion. EPA and DHA increased in the active treatment arm (n = 438) by a median of 87% and 16%, respectively. Greater on‐treatment increases in EPA and DHA were associated with decreasing triglycerides, increasing high‐density lipoprotein cholesterol, and lower baseline EPA and DHA concentrations. Greater on‐treatment increases in EPA were associated with lower risk of MACE (adjusted hazard ratio 0.86 95% confidence interval, CI, 0.75–0.99, p = 0.034), and higher risk of AF (adjusted hazard ratio (HR) 1.36 95% CI 1.07–1.72, p = 0.011). Although there were similar tendencies for DHA changes and outcomes, these associations were not statistically significant (HR 0.84 0.66–1.06 for MACE and 1.39 0.90–2.13 for AF).
Conclusion
Greater on‐treatment increases in EPA were associated with lower risk of MACE and higher risk of new‐onset AF. These data suggest that the cardiovascular effects of increasing n‐3 PUFA levels through supplements are complex, involving both potential benefits and harm.
Abstract Background Early bystander cardiopulmonary resuscitation (CPR) is essential for survival from out-of-hospital cardiac arrest (OHCA). Young people are potentially important bystander CPR ...providers, as basic life support (BLS) training can be distributed widely as part of the school curriculum. Methods Questionnaires were distributed to nine secondary schools in North Norway, and 376 respondents (age 16–19 years) were included. The completed questionnaires were statistically analysed to assess CPR knowledge and attitude to performing bystander CPR. Results Theoretical knowledge of handling an apparently unresponsive adult person was high, and 90% knew the national medical emergency telephone number (113). The majority (83%) was willing to perform bystander CPR in a given situation with cardiac arrest. However, when presented with realistic hypothetical cardiac arrest scenarios, the option to provide full BLS was less frequently chosen, to e.g. a family member (74%), a child (67%) or an intravenous drug user (18%). Students with BLS training in school and self-reported confidence in their own BLS skills reported stronger willingness to perform BLS. 8% had personally witnessed a cardiac arrest, and among these 16% had performed full BLS. Most students (86%) supported mandatory BLS training in school, and three out of four wanted to receive additional training. Conclusion Young Norwegians are motivated to perform bystander CPR, but barriers are still seen when more detailed cardiac arrest scenarios are presented. By providing students with good quality BLS training in school, the upcoming generation in Norway may strengthen the first part of the chain of survival in OHCA.
1 In predator–prey theory, habitat heterogeneity can affect the relationship between kill rates and prey or predator density through its effect on the predator's ability to search for, encounter, ...kill and consume its prey. Many studies of predator–prey interactions include the effect of spatial heterogeneity, but these are mostly based on species with restricted mobility or conducted in experimental settings. 2 Here, we aim to identify the patterns through which spatial heterogeneity affects predator–prey dynamics and to review the literature on the effect of spatial heterogeneity on predator–prey interactions in terrestrial mammalian systems, i.e. in freely moving species with high mobility, in non‐experimental settings. We also review current methodologies that allow the study of the predation process within a spatial context. 3 When the functional response includes the effect of spatial heterogeneity, it usually takes the form of predator‐dependent or ratio‐dependent models and has wide applicability. 4 The analysis of the predation process through its different stages may further contribute towards identifying the spatial scale of interest and the specific spatial mechanism affecting predator–prey interactions. 5 Analyzing the predation process based on the functional response theory, but separating the stages of predation and applying a multiscale approach, is likely to increase our insight into how spatial heterogeneity affects predator–prey dynamics. This may increase our ability to forecast the consequences of landscape transformations on predator–prey dynamics.
Individual differences in DNA sequence are the genetic basis of human variability. We have characterized whole-genome patterns of common human DNA variation by genotyping 1,586,383 single-nucleotide ...polymorphisms (SNPs) in 71 Americans of European, African, and Asian ancestry. Our results indicate that these SNPs capture most common genetic variation as a result of linkage disequilibrium, the correlation among common SNP alleles. We observe a strong correlation between extended regions of linkage disequilibrium and functional genomic elements. Our data provide a tool for exploring many questions that remain regarding the causal role of common human DNA variation in complex human traits and for investigating the nature of genetic variation within and between human populations.
Contrast-enhanced magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) of 28 patients with known breast tumors was compared with clinical findings and histopathology, and for 12 of the patients also with mammography. ...The dynamic measurements performed in 18 patients showed that signal intensity in gradient echo (FFE) images increased rapidly in malignant tumors after contrast injection and reached a plateau level at 1-3 min postcontrast. Fibroadenomas showed slower contrast enhancement continuing throughout the whole examination period of 10 min. The most enhancing parts of the tumors were selected for intensity measurements. The differentiation between malignant and benign tumors in dynamic contrast-enhanced MRI was in accordance with the histopathological findings in all cases. The tumor diameter as measured by MRI showed very good agreement with the size of the tumor specimens. Comparison of tumor size measurements in mammography and MRI showed that MRI had the most accurate correlation to the measured size of the tumor specimens.
Quantum magnets have occupied the fertile ground between many-body theory and low-temperature experiments on real materials since the early days of quantum mechanics. However, our understanding of ...even deceptively simple systems of interacting spins-1/2 is far from complete. The quantum square-lattice Heisenberg antiferromagnet (QSLHAF), for example, exhibits a striking anomaly of hitherto unknown origin in its magnetic excitation spectrum. This quantum effect manifests itself for excitations propagating with the specific wave vector (
, 0). We use polarized neutron spectroscopy to fully characterize the magnetic fluctuations in the metal-organic compound CFTD, a known realization of the QSLHAF model. Our experiments reveal an isotropic excitation continuum at the anomaly, which we analyse theoretically using Gutzwiller-projected trial wavefunctions. The excitation continuum is accounted for by the existence of spatially-extended pairs of fractional
=1/2 quasiparticles, 2D analogues of 1D spinons. Away from the anomalous wave vector, these fractional excitations are bound and form conventional magnons. Our results establish the existence of fractional quasiparticles in the high-energy spectrum of a quasi-two-dimensional antiferromagnet, even in the absence of frustration.
Folate is vital for fetal development. Periconceptional folic acid supplementation and food fortification are recommended to prevent neural tube defects. Mechanisms whereby periconceptional folate ...influences normal development and disease are poorly understood: epigenetics may be involved. We examine the association between maternal plasma folate during pregnancy and epigenome-wide DNA methylation using Illumina's HumanMethyl450 Beadchip in 1,988 newborns from two European cohorts. Here we report the combined covariate-adjusted results using meta-analysis and employ pathway and gene expression analyses. Four-hundred forty-three CpGs (320 genes) are significantly associated with maternal plasma folate levels during pregnancy (false discovery rate 5%); 48 are significant after Bonferroni correction. Most genes are not known for folate biology, including APC2, GRM8, SLC16A12, OPCML, PRPH, LHX1, KLK4 and PRSS21. Some relate to birth defects other than neural tube defects, neurological functions or varied aspects of embryonic development. These findings may inform how maternal folate impacts the developing epigenome and health outcomes in offspring.
The characteristic biological effects of low-frequency electromagnetic fields (EMFs) appear to be functional changes in the central nervous, endocrine and immune systems. For unapparent reasons, ...however, the results of similar studies have often differed markedly from one another. We recognized that it had generally been assumed, in the studies, that EMF effects would exhibit a dose-effect relationship, which is a basic property of linear systems. Prompted by recent developments in the theory on nonlinear systems, we hypothesized that there was a nonlinear relationship between EMFs and the effects they produced in the endocrine and immune systems.
We developed a novel analytical method that could be used to distinguish between linear and nonlinear effects, and we employed it to examine the effect of EMFs on the endocrine and immune systems.
Mice exposed to 5 G, 60 Hz for 1-175 days in 7 independent experiments reliably exhibited changes in serum corticosterone and lymphoid phenotype when the data were analyzed while allowing that the field exposure and the resulting effects could be nonlinearly related. When the analysis was restricted to linear relationships, no effects due to the field were found.
The results indicated that transduction of EMFs resulted in changes in both the endocrine and immune systems, and that the laws governing the changes in each system were not the type that govern conventional dose-effect relationships. Evidence based on mathematical modeling was found suggesting that the coincident changes could have been causally related.
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