The effect of mirabegron on patient-related outcomes in patients with overactive bladder: the results of post hoc correlation and responder analyses using pooled data from three randomized Phase III trials

Purpose To understand how improvements in the symptoms of overactive bladder (OAB) seen with the b3-adrenoceptor agonist mirabegron 50 mg, correlate with patient experience as measured by validated and standard patient-reported outcomes (PROs), and to identify whether there is overall directional consistency in the responsiveness of PROs to treatment effect. Methods In a post hoc analysis of pooled data from three randomized, double-blind, placebo-controlled, 12-week Phase III trials of mirabegron 50 mg once daily, responder rates for incontinence frequency (C50 % reduction in incontinence episodes/24 h from baseline to final visit), micturition frequency (B8 micturitions/24 h at final visit), and PROs [minimally important differences in patient perception of bladder condition (PPBC) and subsets of the overactive bladder questionnaire (OAB-q) measuring total health-related quality of life (HRQoL), and symptom bother] were evaluated individually and in combination. Results Mirabegron 50 mg demonstrated greater improvement from baseline to final visit than placebo for each of the responder analyses, whether for individual objective and subjective outcomes or combinations thereof. These improvements versus placebo were statistically significant for all double and triple responder analyses and for all single responder analyses except PPBC. PRO measurements showed directional consistency and significant correlations, and there were also significant correlations between objective and subjective measures of efficacy. Conclusions The improvements in objective measures seen with mirabegron 50 mg translate into a meaningful clinical benefit as evident by the directional consistency seen in HRQoL measures of benefit

The LISA PathFinder DMU and Radiation Monitor

The LISA PathFinder DMU (Data Management Unit) flight model was formally accepted by ESA and ASD on 11 February 2010, after all hardware and software tests had been successfully completed. The diagnostics items are scheduled to be delivered by the end of 2010. In this paper we review the requirements and performance of this instrumentation, specially focusing on the Radiation Monitor and the DMU, as well as the status of their programmed use during mission operations, on which work is ongoing at the time of writing.Comment: 11 pages, 7 figures, prepared for the Proceedings of the 8th International LISA Symposium, Classical and Quantum Gravit

Dirac Equation with Spin Symmetry for the Modified P\"oschl-Teller Potential in DD-dimensions

We present solutions of the Dirac equation with spin symmetry for vector and scalar modified P\"oschl-Teller potential within framework of an approximation of the centrifugal term. The relativistic energy spectrum is obtained using the Nikiforov-Uvarov method and the two-component spinor wavefunctions are obtain are in terms of the Jacobi polynomials. It is found that there exist only positive-energy states for bound states under spin symmetry, and the energy levels increase with the dimension and the potential range parameter $\alpha$.Comment: 9 pages and 1tabl

Electronic Developments for the Hades RPC Wall: Overview and Progress

This contribution presents the current status and progress of the electronics developed for the Resistive Plate Chamber detector of HADES. This new detector for the time-of-flight detection system will contain more than 1000 RPC modules, covering a total active area of around 7 m2. The Front-End electronics consist of custom-made boards that exploit the benefit of the use of commercial components to achieve time resolutions below 100 ps. The Readout electronics, also custom-made, is a multipurpose board providing a 128- channel Time to Digital Converter (TDC) based on the HPTDC chip

State space modelling and data analysis exercises in LISA Pathfinder

LISA Pathfinder is a mission planned by the European Space Agency to test the key technologies that will allow the detection of gravitational waves in space. The instrument on-board, the LISA Technology package, will undergo an exhaustive campaign of calibrations and noise characterisation campaigns in order to fully describe the noise model. Data analysis plays an important role in the mission and for that reason the data analysis team has been developing a toolbox which contains all the functionalities required during operations. In this contribution we give an overview of recent activities, focusing on the improvements in the modelling of the instrument and in the data analysis campaigns performed both with real and simulated data.Comment: Plenary talk presented at the 9th International LISA Symposium, 21-25 May 2012, Pari

Lepton Flavor Violation in the Two Higgs Doublet Model type III

We consider the Two Higgs Doublet Model (2HDM) of type III which leads to Flavour Changing Neutral Currents (FCNC) at tree level in the leptonic sector. In the framework of this model we can have, in principle, two situations: the case (a) when both doublets acquire a vacuum expectation value different from zero and the case (b) when only one of them is not zero. In addition, we show that we can make two types of rotations for the flavor mixing matrices which generates four types of lagrangians, with the rotation of type I we recover the case (b) from the case (a) in the limit $\tan \beta \to \infty$, and with the rotation of type II we obtain the case (b) from (a) in the limit $\tan \beta \to 0.$Moreover, two of the four possible lagrangians correspond to the models of types I and II plus Flavor Changing (FC) interactions. The analitical expressions of the partial lepton number violating widths $\Gamma (\mu \to eee)$ and $\Gamma (\mu \to e\gamma)$are derived for the cases (a) and (b) and both types of rotations.$$In all cases these widths go asymptotically to zero in the decoupling limit for all Higgses. We present from our analysis upper bounds for the flavour changing transition $\mu \to e,$ and we show that such bounds are sensitive to the VEV structure and the type of rotation utilized.Comment: 7 pages RevTeX4, 4 figures postscript, new section added and some new reference

Prevalence of Lower Urinary Tract Symptoms in China, Taiwan, and South Korea: Results from a Cross-Sectional, Population-Based Study.

INTRODUCTION: Few population-based data are available evaluating the prevalence of lower urinary tract symptoms (LUTS) in Asia. The objective of our study was to determine LUTS prevalence in China, Taiwan, and South Korea using International Continence Society (ICS) 2002 criteria. METHODS: An Internet-based self-administered survey among individuals aged at least 40 years with the ability to use a computer and to read the local language. Survey questions included ICS symptom definitions and the international prostate symptom score (IPSS). Data analysis was based on descriptive statistics and post hoc significance testing. RESULTS: There were 8284 participants, of whom 51% were women and 34% were aged at least 60 years. LUTS prevalence was slightly higher in men than women (62.8% vs. 59.6%; p = 0.004), increasing significantly with age (p = 0.001). All three ICS symptom groups (voiding, storage, and post-micturition) were present in 35% of individuals with LUTS. Symptoms with the highest overall prevalence were nocturia, frequency, incomplete emptying, and terminal dribble. The most bothersome symptoms were terminal dribble, nocturia, and urgency. According to IPSS scores, 87% of participants had at least mild symptoms; 43% of those aged over 60 years had moderate/severe symptoms. The percentage of participants with any LUTS who had visited healthcare professionals because of urinary symptoms was 26%, rising to 45% amongst individuals with all three symptom groups (p = 0.001 vs. other ICS symptom groups). CONCLUSIONS: LUTS are highly prevalent in men and women aged at least 40 years who participated in this study in China, Taiwan, and South Korea and increases with increasing age. A minority of individuals with LUTS seek healthcare and our results suggest an increased patient awareness of LUTS is required. FUNDING: Astellas Pharma Singapore Pte. Ltd. TRIAL REGISTRATION: ClinicalTrials.gov identifier, NCT02618421

The Sensitivity of HAWC to High-Mass Dark Matter Annihilations

The High Altitude Water Cherenkov (HAWC) observatory is a wide field-of-view detector sensitive to gamma rays of 100 GeV to a few hundred TeV. Located in central Mexico at 19 degrees North latitude and 4100 m above sea level, HAWC will observe gamma rays and cosmic rays with an array of water Cherenkov detectors. The full HAWC array is scheduled to be operational in Spring 2015. In this paper, we study the HAWC sensitivity to the gamma-ray signatures of high-mass (multi- TeV) dark matter annihilation. The HAWC observatory will be sensitive to diverse searches for dark matter annihilation, including annihilation from extended dark matter sources, the diffuse gamma-ray emission from dark matter annihilation, and gamma-ray emission from non-luminous dark matter subhalos. Here we consider the HAWC sensitivity to a subset of these sources, including dwarf galaxies, the M31 galaxy, the Virgo cluster, and the Galactic center. We simulate the HAWC response to gamma rays from these sources in several well-motivated dark matter annihilation channels. If no gamma-ray excess is observed, we show the limits HAWC can place on the dark matter cross-section from these sources. In particular, in the case of dark matter annihilation into gauge bosons, HAWC will be able to detect a narrow range of dark matter masses to cross-sections below thermal. HAWC should also be sensitive to non-thermal cross-sections for masses up to nearly 1000 TeV. The constraints placed by HAWC on the dark matter cross-section from known sources should be competitive with current limits in the mass range where HAWC has similar sensitivity. HAWC can additionally explore higher dark matter masses than are currently constrained.Comment: 15 pages, 4 figures, version to be published in PR

Proyecto IRESUD: interconexión de sistemas fotovoltaicos a la red eléctrica en ambientes urbanos. estado de avance a julio de 2014 y primeras mediciones en sistemas piloto

En el marco de una convocatoria del Ministerio de Ciencia, Tecnología e Innovación Productiva, se conformó, en el año 2011, el consorcio público-privado IRESUD entre la Comisión Nacional de Energía Atómica (CNEA), la Universidad Nacional de San Martín (UNSAM) y 5 empresas privadas, para la ejecución del proyecto “Interconexión de Sistemas Fotovoltaicos a la Red Eléctrica en Ambientes Urbanos”. El principal objetivo del mismo es introducir en el país tecnologías asociadas con la interconexión a la red eléctrica, en áreas urbanas, de sistemas fotovoltaicos (FV), contemplando para ello cuestiones técnicas, económicas y regulatorias. En este trabajo, se presenta el grado de avance del proyecto en lo referente a las cuestiones regulatorias y a las instalaciones piloto realizadas o en ejecución en diferentes partes del país. Asimismo, se muestran las primeras mediciones de algunas de las instalaciones actualmente en operación y se analiza el comportamiento de un inversor FV de conexión a red.Fil: Durán, J. C.. Comisión Nacional de Energía Atómica; Argentina. Universidad Nacional de San Martín; ArgentinaFil: Socolovsky, Hernan Pablo. Comisión Nacional de Energía Atómica; Argentina. Universidad Nacional de San Martín; ArgentinaFil: Raggio, D.. Comisión Nacional de Energía Atómica; ArgentinaFil: Godfrin, Elena María. Comisión Nacional de Energía Atómica; ArgentinaFil: Jakimczyk, J.. Universidad Tecnológica Nacional; ArgentinaFil: Martinez Bogado, Mónica Gladys. Universidad Nacional de San Martín; Argentina. Comisión Nacional de Energía Atómica; Argentina. Consejo Nacional de Investigaciones Científicas y Técnicas; ArgentinaFil: Diaz, F. J.. Universidad Nacional de La Plata. Facultad de Informática; ArgentinaFil: Castro, N. E.. Universidad Nacional de La Plata. Facultad de Informática; ArgentinaFil: Pedro, G.. Provincia del Neuquen. Ministerio de Hacienda Obras y Servivcios Publicos. Ente Provincial de Energia del Neuquen; ArgentinaFil: Sepúlveda, O.. Provincia del Neuquen. Ministerio de Hacienda Obras y Servivcios Publicos. Ente Provincial de Energia del Neuquen; ArgentinaFil: Argañaraz, C.. Provincia del Neuquen. Ministerio de Hacienda Obras y Servivcios Publicos. Ente Provincial de Energia del Neuquen; ArgentinaFil: Benítez, E.. Universidad Nacional de Luján; ArgentinaFil: Roldán, A.. Universidad Nacional de Luján; ArgentinaFil: Righini, R.. Universidad Nacional de Luján; Argentin

Sub-femto-g free fall for space-based gravitational wave observatories: LISA pathfinder results

We report the first results of the LISA Pathfinder in-flight experiment. The results demonstrate that two free-falling reference test masses, such as those needed for a space-based gravitational wave observatory like LISA, can be put in free fall with a relative acceleration noise with a square root of the power spectral density of 5.2 ± 0.1 fm s−2/√Hz or (0.54 ± 0.01) × 10−15 g/√Hz, with g the standard gravity, for frequencies between 0.7 and 20 mHz. This value is lower than the LISA Pathfinder requirement by more than a factor 5 and within a factor 1.25 of the requirement for the LISA mission, and is compatible with Brownian noise from viscous damping due to the residual gas surrounding the test masses. Above 60 mHz the acceleration noise is dominated by interferometer displacement readout noise at a level of (34.8 ± 0.3) fm/√Hz, about 2 orders of magnitude better than requirements. At f ≤ 0.5 mHz we observe a low-frequency tail that stays below 12 fm s−2/√Hz down to 0.1 mHz. This performance would allow for a space-based gravitational wave observatory with a sensitivity close to what was originally foreseen for LISA