A statistical interpretation of the correlation between intermediate mass fragment multiplicity and transverse energy

Multifragment emission following Xe+Au collisions at 30, 40, 50 and 60 AMeV has been studied with multidetector systems covering nearly 4-pi in solid angle. The correlations of both the intermediate mass fragment and light charged particle multiplicities with the transverse energy are explored. A comparison is made with results from a similar system, Xe+Bi at 28 AMeV. The experimental trends are compared to statistical model predictions.Comment: 7 pages, submitted to Phys. Rev.

A systematic review of the effects of exercise interventions on body composition in HIV+ adults

Over the years, physical activity and exercise have been used to positively impact the health and quality of life of persons infected with HIV and, more recently, has been associated with a spectrum of body composition changes. The aim of this review was to examine the effects of various exercise interventions on body composition in HIV positive adults, using a search strategy of randomized, controlled trials (RCTs). A systematic review was performed by five independent reviewers using a predetermined protocol adapted from previous research for assessing the articles for inclusion, the extracted data, and methodological quality. Eight RCTs involving 430 (26% female) HIV positive adults performing exercise a minimum of thrice weekly for at least six weeks were finally selected: Four were progressive resistance training (PRT) studies, three were aerobic training (AT) studies, and one involved yoga. In the PRT studies, there were significant increases in three anthropometric measures, namely, body mass, sum of skinfolds and sum of limb girths. In the AT studies, significant decreases were found in seven anthropometric measures, namely, body mass index, waist-hip ratio, body mass, triceps skinfold, waist circumference and sum of skinfolds. With yoga, the changes were nonsignificant. Exercise contributes to improved body composition and, when applied safely, appears to be beneficial for adults living with HIV/AIDS. However, these findings should be interpreted cautiously due to the relatively few RCTs published to date. Future studies would benefit from increased attention to sample size, female participants, participant follow-up, complete statistical analysis and intention-to-treat analysis.Scopu

High-Bandwidth Organic Light Emitting Diodes for Ultra-Low Cost Visible Light Communication Links

Visible light communications (VLC) have attracted considerable interest in recent years due to an increasing need for data communication links in home and enterprise environments. Organic light-emitting diodes (OLEDs) are widely used in display applications owing to their high brightness, high quality colour-rending capability and low cost. As a result, they are attractive candidates for the implementation of ultra-low cost visible light optical links in free-space and guided-wave communications. However, OLEDs need to exhibit a bandwidth of at least ~MHz to be able to support the modest data rates (~Mbps) required in these applications. Although fluorescent OLEDs typically exhibit shorter photon lifetimes than inorganic LEDs, the bandwidth performance of the large size OLEDs used in display applications are limited by their electrical characteristics. In this work, we present a detailed physical simulation that describes well the performance of fast OLED devices that exhibit significant -3 dB bandwidths (f-3dB) of 44 MHz obtained for a 0.12 mm2 device. It is demonstrated that the reduction of the device size results in a significant bandwidth improvement due primarily to a reduction in parasitic capacitance of the devices, though this is counteracted by carrier dynamic effects. The model provides an insight into the basic physical properties of the OLED and may be used for optimisation of future generations of OLED devices.EPSRC EP/K00042X/1 EPSRC Studentship 146672

Using content analysis to characterise the sensory typicity and quality judgements of Australian Cabernet Sauvignon wines

Understanding the sensory attributes that explain the typicity of Australian Cabernet Sauvignon wines is essential for increasing value and growth of Australia's reputation as a fine wine producer. Content analysis of 2598 web-based wine reviews from well-known wine writers, including tasting notes and scores, was used to gather information about the regional profiles of Australian Cabernet Sauvignon wines and to create selection criteria for further wine studies. In addition, a wine expert panel evaluated 84 commercial Cabernet Sauvignon wines from Coonawarra, Margaret River, Yarra Valley and Bordeaux, using freely chosen descriptions and overall quality scores. Using content analysis software, a sensory lexicon of descriptor categories was built and frequencies of each category for each region were computed. Distinction between the sensory profiles of the regions was achieved by correspondence analysis (CA) using online review and expert panellist data. Wine quality scores obtained from reviews and experts were converted into Australian wine show medal categories. CA of assigned medal and descriptor frequencies revealed the sensory attributes that appeared to drive medal-winning wines. Multiple factor analysis of frequencies from the reviews and expert panellists indicated agreement about descriptors that were associated with wines of low and high quality, with greater alignment at the lower end of the wine quality assessment scale.Lira Souza Gonzaga, Dimitra L. Capone, Susan E.P. Bastian, Lukas Danner and David W. Jeffer

Global surveillance of cancer survival 1995-2009: analysis of individual data for 25,676,887 patients from 279 population-based registries in 67 countries (CONCORD-2)

BACKGROUND: Worldwide data for cancer survival are scarce. We aimed to initiate worldwide surveillance of cancer survival by central analysis of population-based registry data, as a metric of the effectiveness of health systems, and to inform global policy on cancer control. METHODS: Individual tumour records were submitted by 279 population-based cancer registries in 67 countries for 25·7 million adults (age 15-99 years) and 75,000 children (age 0-14 years) diagnosed with cancer during 1995-2009 and followed up to Dec 31, 2009, or later. We looked at cancers of the stomach, colon, rectum, liver, lung, breast (women), cervix, ovary, and prostate in adults, and adult and childhood leukaemia. Standardised quality control procedures were applied; errors were corrected by the registry concerned. We estimated 5-year net survival, adjusted for background mortality in every country or region by age (single year), sex, and calendar year, and by race or ethnic origin in some countries. Estimates were age-standardised with the International Cancer Survival Standard weights. FINDINGS: 5-year survival from colon, rectal, and breast cancers has increased steadily in most developed countries. For patients diagnosed during 2005-09, survival for colon and rectal cancer reached 60% or more in 22 countries around the world; for breast cancer, 5-year survival rose to 85% or higher in 17 countries worldwide. Liver and lung cancer remain lethal in all nations: for both cancers, 5-year survival is below 20% everywhere in Europe, in the range 15-19% in North America, and as low as 7-9% in Mongolia and Thailand. Striking rises in 5-year survival from prostate cancer have occurred in many countries: survival rose by 10-20% between 1995-99 and 2005-09 in 22 countries in South America, Asia, and Europe, but survival still varies widely around the world, from less than 60% in Bulgaria and Thailand to 95% or more in Brazil, Puerto Rico, and the USA. For cervical cancer, national estimates of 5-year survival range from less than 50% to more than 70%; regional variations are much wider, and improvements between 1995-99 and 2005-09 have generally been slight. For women diagnosed with ovarian cancer in 2005-09, 5-year survival was 40% or higher only in Ecuador, the USA, and 17 countries in Asia and Europe. 5-year survival for stomach cancer in 2005-09 was high (54-58%) in Japan and South Korea, compared with less than 40% in other countries. By contrast, 5-year survival from adult leukaemia in Japan and South Korea (18-23%) is lower than in most other countries. 5-year survival from childhood acute lymphoblastic leukaemia is less than 60% in several countries, but as high as 90% in Canada and four European countries, which suggests major deficiencies in the management of a largely curable disease. INTERPRETATION: International comparison of survival trends reveals very wide differences that are likely to be attributable to differences in access to early diagnosis and optimum treatment. Continuous worldwide surveillance of cancer survival should become an indispensable source of information for cancer patients and researchers and a stimulus for politicians to improve health policy and health-care systems

Mapping cell-in-cell structures in oral squamous cell carcinoma

Cell-in-cell (CIC) structures contribute to tumor aggressiveness and poor prognosis in oral squamous cell carcinoma (OSCC). In vitro 3D models may contribute to the understanding of the underlying molecular mechanisms of these events. We employed a spheroid model to study the CIC structures in OSCC. Spheroids were obtained from OSCC (HSC3) and cancer-associated fibroblast (CAF) lines using the Nanoshuttle-PLTM bioprinting system (Greiner Bio-One). Spheroid form, size, and reproducibility were evaluated over time (EvosTM XL; ImageJ version 1.8). Slides were assembled, stained (hematoxylin and eosin), and scanned (Axio Imager Z2/VSLIDE) using the OlyVIA System (Olympus Life Science) and ImageJ software (NIH) for cellular morphology and tumor zone formation (hypoxia and/or proliferative zones) analysis. CIC occurrence, complexity, and morphology were assessed considering the spheroid regions. Well-formed spheroids were observed within 6 h of incubation, showing the morphological aspects of the tumor microenvironment, such as hypoxic (core) and proliferative zone (periphery) formation. CIC structures were found in both homotypic and heterotypic groups, predominantly in the proliferative zone of the mixed HSC3/CAF spheroids. “Complex cannibalism” events were also noted. These results showcase the potential of this model in further studies on CIC morphology, formation, and relationship with tumor prognosis

Pan American interactions of Amazon precipitation, streamflow, and tree growth extremes

Rainfall and river levels in the Amazon are associated with significant precipitation anomalies of opposite sign in temperate North and South America, which is the dominant mode of precipitation variability in the Americas that often arises during extremes of the El Niño/Southern Oscillation (ENSO). This co-variability of precipitation extremes across the Americas is imprinted on tree growth and is detected when new tree-ring chronologies from the eastern equatorial Amazon are compared with hundreds of moisture-sensitive tree-ring chronologies in mid-latitude North and South America from 1759 to 2016. Pan-American co-variability exists even though the seasonality of precipitation and tree growth only partially overlaps between the Amazon and mid-latitudes because ENSO forcing of climate can persist for multiple seasons and can orchestrate a coherent response, even where the growing seasons are not fully synchronized. The tree-ring data indicate that the El Niño influence on inter-hemispheric precipitation and tree growth extremes has been strong and stable over the past 258-years, but the La Niña influence has been subject to large multi-decadal changes. These changes have implications for the dynamics and forecasting of hydroclimatic variability over the Americas and are supported by analyses of the available instrumental data and selected climate model simulations.Fil: Stahle, D.W.. University of Arkansas for Medical Sciences; Estados UnidosFil: Torbenson, Max Carl Arne. Ohio State University; Estados UnidosFil: Howard, I. M.. University of Arkansas for Medical Sciences; Estados UnidosFil: Granato Souza, D.. University of Arkansas for Medical Sciences; Estados UnidosFil: Barbosa, A. C.. Universidad Federal de Lavras; BrasilFil: Feng, S.. University of Arkansas for Medical Sciences; Estados UnidosFil: Schöngart, J.. National Institute For Amazon Research; BrasilFil: Lopez Callejas, Lidio. Consejo Nacional de Investigaciones Científicas y Técnicas. Centro Científico Tecnológico Conicet - Mendoza. Instituto Argentino de Nivología, Glaciología y Ciencias Ambientales. Provincia de Mendoza. Instituto Argentino de Nivología, Glaciología y Ciencias Ambientales. Universidad Nacional de Cuyo. Instituto Argentino de Nivología, Glaciología y Ciencias Ambientales; ArgentinaFil: Villalba, Ricardo. Consejo Nacional de Investigaciones Científicas y Técnicas. Centro Científico Tecnológico Conicet - Mendoza. Instituto Argentino de Nivología, Glaciología y Ciencias Ambientales. Provincia de Mendoza. Instituto Argentino de Nivología, Glaciología y Ciencias Ambientales. Universidad Nacional de Cuyo. Instituto Argentino de Nivología, Glaciología y Ciencias Ambientales; ArgentinaFil: Villanueva, J.. Instituto Nacional de Investigaciones Forestales Agrícolas y Pecuarias; MéxicoFil: Fernandes, K.. Columbia University; Estados Unido

Updated precision measurement of the average lifetime of B hadrons

The measurement of the average lifetime of B hadrons using inclusively reconstructed secondary vertices has been updated using both an improved processing of previous data and additional statistics from new data. This has reduced the statistical and systematic uncertainties and gives \tau_{\mathrm{B}} = 1.582 \pm 0.011\ \mathrm{(stat.)} \pm 0.027\ \mathrm{(syst.)}\ \mathrm{ps.} Combining this result with the previous result based on charged particle impact parameter distributions yields \tau_{\mathrm{B}} = 1.575 \pm 0.010\ \mathrm{(stat.)} \pm 0.026\ \mathrm{(syst.)}\ \mathrm{ps.

Measurement of the mass difference between top quark and antiquark in pp collisions at root s=8 TeV

Peer reviewe