Determination of Strong-Interaction Widths and Shifts of Pionic X-Rays with a Crystal Spectrometer

Pionic 3d-2p atomic transitions in F, Na, and Mg have been studied using a bent crystal spectrometer. The pionic atoms were formed in the production target placed in the external proton beam of the Space Radiation Effects Laboratory synchrocyclotron. The observed energies and widths of the transitions are E=41679(3) eV and Γ=21(8) eV, E=62434(18) eV and Γ=22(80) eV, E=74389(9) eV and Γ=67(35) eV, in F, Na, and Mg, respectively. The results are compared with calculations based on a pion-nucleus optical potential

Neutron production by cosmic-ray muons at shallow depth

The yield of neutrons produced by cosmic ray muons at a shallow depth of 32 meters of water equivalent has been measured. The Palo Verde neutrino detector, containing 11.3 tons of Gd loaded liquid scintillator and 3.5 tons of acrylic served as a target. The rate of one and two neutron captures was determined. Modeling the neutron capture efficiency allowed us to deduce the total yield of neutrons $Y_{tot} = (3.60 \pm 0.09 \pm 0.31) \times 10^{-5}$ neutrons per muon and g/cm$^2$. This yield is consistent with previous measurements at similar depths.Comment: 12 pages, 3 figure

Final results from the Palo Verde Neutrino Oscillation Experiment

The analysis and results are presented from the complete data set recorded at Palo Verde between September 1998 and July 2000. In the experiment, the \nuebar interaction rate has been measured at a distance of 750 and 890 m from the reactors of the Palo Verde Nuclear Generating Station for a total of 350 days, including 108 days with one of the three reactors off for refueling. Backgrounds were determined by (a) the $swap$ technique based on the difference between signal and background under reversal of the positron and neutron parts of the correlated event and (b) making use of the conventional reactor-on and reactor-off cycles. There is no evidence for neutrino oscillation and the mode \nuebar\to\bar\nu_x was excluded at 90% CL for \dm>1.1\times10^{-3} eV$^2$ at full mixing, and \sinq>0.17 at large \dm.Comment: 11 pages, 8 figure

Neurology

Contains research objectives and reports on six research projects.U.S. Public Health Service (B-3055)U.S. Public Health Service (B-3090)Office of Naval Research (Nonr-1841 (70))Air Force (AF33(616)-7588)Air Force (AFAFOSR-155-63)Air Force (AFAFOSR-155-63)Army Chemical Corps (DA-18-108-405-Cml-942)National Science Foundation (Grant G-16526

The global burden of cancer attributable to risk factors, 2010–19: a systematic analysis for the Global Burden of Disease Study 2019

Summary Background Understanding the magnitude of cancer burden attributable to potentially modifiable risk factors is crucial for development of effective prevention and mitigation strategies. We analysed results from the Global Burden of Diseases, Injuries, and Risk Factors Study (GBD) 2019 to inform cancer control planning efforts globally. Methods The GBD 2019 comparative risk assessment framework was used to estimate cancer burden attributable to behavioural, environmental and occupational, and metabolic risk factors. A total of 82 risk–outcome pairs were included on the basis of the World Cancer Research Fund criteria. Estimated cancer deaths and disability-adjusted life-years (DALYs) in 2019 and change in these measures between 2010 and 2019 are presented. Findings Globally, in 2019, the risk factors included in this analysis accounted for 4·45 million (95% uncertainty interval 4·01–4·94) deaths and 105 million (95·0–116) DALYs for both sexes combined, representing 44·4% (41·3–48·4) of all cancer deaths and 42·0% (39·1–45·6) of all DALYs. There were 2·88 million (2·60–3·18) risk-attributable cancer deaths in males (50·6% [47·8–54·1] of all male cancer deaths) and 1·58 million (1·36–1·84) risk-attributable cancer deaths in females (36·3% [32·5–41·3] of all female cancer deaths). The leading risk factors at the most detailed level globally for risk-attributable cancer deaths and DALYs in 2019 for both sexes combined were smoking, followed by alcohol use and high BMI. Risk-attributable cancer burden varied by world region and Socio-demographic Index (SDI), with smoking, unsafe sex, and alcohol use being the three leading risk factors for risk-attributable cancer DALYs in low SDI locations in 2019, whereas DALYs in high SDI locations mirrored the top three global risk factor rankings. From 2010 to 2019, global risk-attributable cancer deaths increased by 20·4% (12·6–28·4) and DALYs by 16·8% (8·8–25·0), with the greatest percentage increase in metabolic risks (34·7% [27·9–42·8] and 33·3% [25·8–42·0]). Interpretation The leading risk factors contributing to global cancer burden in 2019 were behavioural, whereas metabolic risk factors saw the largest increases between 2010 and 2019. Reducing exposure to these modifiable risk factors would decrease cancer mortality and DALY rates worldwide, and policies should be tailored appropriately to local cancer risk factor burden. Funding Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation.Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation.publishedVersio

A “proto” type galectin expressed in striped bass (Morone saxatilis) tissues is released to epidermal mucus and binds to bacterial and mucus glycans

Like all aquatic vertebrates and invertebrates, teleost fish are subject to the constant pressure of bacterial, fungal, and parasitic organisms present in the environmental interface that can potentially cause disease. Numerous defense molecules, including galectins, have been isolated from the skin and gut tissues of several marine and freshwater fish species. To provide new insights into the potential role(s) of galectins in the teleost fish innate immune system, we carried out studies on the striped bass (Morone saxatilis), a keystone fish species in Chesapeake Bay. We purified from epidermal skin mucus, and skin and muscle tissue, a 15-kDa galectin that we designated Msgal1-L1 (M. saxatilis galectin1-like protein 1). Both the transcript sequence and gene organization of Msgal1-L1 suggested a close relationship to the zebrafish galectin Drgal1-L2 and other proto type galectins from vertebrates, including the mammalian galectin-1. Glycan microarray analysis of Msgal1-L1 revealed a binding preference for Galβ1,4GlcNAc, and a homology structural model identified the amino acids involved in ligand recognition, both observations consistent with proto type galectins. Immunohistological examination localized Msgal1-L1 to epithelial and macrophage-/fibroblast-like cells in mucosal tissues, including skin and gill. The preliminary localization of Msgal1-L1 in free macrophage-like cells in epidermal mucus was corroborated by immunofluorescence analysis of macrophages isolated from head kidney. Msgal1-L1 binds in a carbohydrate-specific manner to O-glycosylated components of epidermal mucus. Msgal1-L1 agglutinated environmental bacterial species and strains, some of which are recognized fish pathogens, such as Vibrio and Edwardsiella spp. A microbial microarray analysis revealed that it preferentially binds to bacterial exopolysaccharides (e.g., Streptococcus and Shigella spp.) as well as various lipopolysaccharide O-antigen serotypes of Proteus spp. A preliminary solid-phase assay showed that Msgal1-L1 strongly bound Streptococcus sp., but very weakly to Mycobacterium marinum, an endemic pathogen of striped bass in Chesapeake Bay. Taken together, this evidence suggests that Msgal1-L1 may function in defense recognition against environmental bacteria by agglutinating and/or cross-linking them to mucus oligosaccharides to immobilize them within the epidermal mucus film and prevent their access to the fish epithelial cell surface. M. marinum would evade this defense mechanism to reach and infect the fish skin epithelial layer

Determination of the 2p−1s transition energy and strong interaction shift in pionic hydrogen using crystal diffraction

The 2p−1s atomic transition in pionic hydrogen has been studied with the help of a point-focusing graphite diffraction spectrometer. The transition energy was measured to be E(2p−1s)=2433.5±1.7 eV. From this result a strong interaction shift of -3.9±1.7 eV was derived. The Kα x-ray yield in the 2.7 atm hydrogen target at 40 K was found to be 0.025±0.013 per stopped pion.Physical Review C 28(6), 2374-2379. (1983)0556-281