| 1. |
- Schael, S, et al.
(author)
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Precision electroweak measurements on the Z resonance
- 2006
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In: Physics Reports. - : Elsevier BV. - 0370-1573 .- 1873-6270. ; 427:5-6, s. 257-454
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Research review (peer-reviewed)abstract
- We report on the final electroweak measurements performed with data taken at the Z resonance by the experiments operating at the electron-positron colliders SLC and LEP. The data consist of 17 million Z decays accumulated by the ALEPH, DELPHI, L3 and OPAL experiments at LEP, and 600 thousand Z decays by the SLID experiment using a polarised beam at SLC. The measurements include cross-sections, forward-backward asymmetries and polarised asymmetries. The mass and width of the Z boson, m(Z) and Gamma(Z), and its couplings to fermions, for example the p parameter and the effective electroweak mixing angle for leptons, are precisely measured: m(Z) = 91.1875 +/- 0.0021 GeV, Gamma(Z) = 2.4952 +/- 0.0023 GeV, rho(l) = 1.0050 +/- 0.0010, sin(2)theta(eff)(lept) = 0.23153 +/- 0.00016. The number of light neutrino species is determined to be 2.9840 +/- 0.0082, in agreement with the three observed generations of fundamental fermions. The results are compared to the predictions of the Standard Model (SM). At the Z-pole, electroweak radiative corrections beyond the running of the QED and QCD coupling constants are observed with a significance of five standard deviations, and in agreement with the Standard Model. Of the many Z-pole measurements, the forward-backward asymmetry in b-quark production shows the largest difference with respect to its SM expectation, at the level of 2.8 standard deviations. Through radiative corrections evaluated in the framework of the Standard Model, the Z-pole data are also used to predict the mass of the top quark, m(t) = 173(+10)(+13) GeV, and the mass of the W boson, m(W) = 80.363 +/- 0.032 GeV. These indirect constraints are compared to the direct measurements, providing a stringent test of the SM. Using in addition the direct measurements of m(t) and m(W), the mass of the as yet unobserved SM Higgs boson is predicted with a relative uncertainty of about 50% and found to be less than 285 GeV at 95% confidence level. (c) 2006 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.
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| 2. |
- Armesto, N., et al.
(author)
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Heavy-ion collisions at the LHC-Last call for predictions
- 2008
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In: Journal of Physics G. - : IOP Publishing. - 0954-3899 .- 1361-6471. ; 35:5, s. 054001-
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Research review (peer-reviewed)abstract
- This writeup is a compilation of the predictions for the forthcoming Heavy Ion Program at the Large Hadron Collider, as presented at the CERN Theory Institute 'Heavy Ion Collisions at the LHC - Last Call for Predictions', held from 14th May to 10th June 2007.
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| 3. |
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| 4. |
- House, J, et al.
(author)
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Climate and air quality
- 2006
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In: Millennium Ecosystem Assessment 2005 - Current State and Trends. Findings of the Condition and Trends Working Group (Ecosystems and Human Well-being). ; 1, s. 350-390
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Book chapter (other academic/artistic)
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| 5. |
- Gaweda, Sylwia, et al.
(author)
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Cationic agents for DNA compaction
- 2008
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In: Journal of Colloid and Interface Science. - : Elsevier BV. - 1095-7103 .- 0021-9797. ; 323:1, s. 75-83
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Journal article (peer-reviewed)abstract
- Fluorescence microscopy was used to investigate the conformational changes of individual T4 DNA molecules induced by different compacting agents, namely the cationic surfactants, cetyltrimethylammonium bromide (CTAB) and chloride (CTAC), iron(III), lysozyme, and protamine sulfate. A protocol for establishing size estimates is suggested to obtain reproducible results. Observations show that in the presence of lysozyme and protamine sulfate, DNA molecules exhibit a conformational change from an elongated coil structure to compact globules, usually interpreted as a first-order transition. The maximum degree of compaction that is attained when iron(III) or CTAB (CrAC) are used as compacting agents is considerably smaller, and intermediate structures (less elongated coils) are visible even for high concentrations of these agents. Dynamic light scattering experiments were carried out, for some of the systems, to assess the reliability of size estimates from fluorescence microscopy.
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| 6. |
- Sarraguca, J. M. G., et al.
(author)
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Coil-globule coexistence and compaction of DNA chains
- 2006
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In: Journal of Biological Physics. - : Springer Science and Business Media LLC. - 0092-0606 .- 1573-0689. ; 32:5, s. 421-434
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Journal article (peer-reviewed)abstract
- In this work we discuss different factors governing coil-globule coexistence in the compaction process of DNA. We initially analyse the role played by fluctuations in the degree of binding of an external compacting agent in the conformational behavior of the chain backbone. The analysis relies both on Monte Carlo simulation results and simple statistical approaches. Compacting agents of various binding characteristics are taken into consideration and the degree of charge neutralization upon the chain is related to conformational indicators. Selected model systems comprising stiff chains in the presence of multivalent ions are employed to assess intrinsic single-chain conformational fluctuation, in the presence of external agents but not resulting from differences in binding. It is shown that trends found for a variety of compacting agents, including the extension of the coil-globule coexistence regions, can be ratio-nalised on the basis of this analysis.
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| 7. |
- Cornett, Dale S, et al.
(author)
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A novel histology-directed strategy for MALDI-MS tissue profiling that improves throughput and cellular specificity in human breast cancer.
- 2006
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In: Molecular & Cellular Proteomics. - 1535-9476 .- 1535-9484. ; 5:10, s. 1975-83
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Journal article (peer-reviewed)abstract
- We describe a novel tissue profiling strategy that improves the cellular specificity and analysis throughput of protein profiles obtained by direct MALDI analysis. The new approach integrates the cellular specificity of histology, the accuracy and reproducibility of robotic liquid dispensing, and the speed and objectivity of automated spectra acquisition. Traditional methodologies for preparing and analyzing tissue samples rely heavily on manual procedures, which for various reasons discussed, restrict cellular specificity and sample throughput. Here, a robotic spotter deposits micron-sized droplets of matrix precisely onto foci of normal mammary epithelium, ductal carcinoma in situ, invasive mammary cancer, and peritumoral stroma selected by a pathologist from high resolution histological images of sectioned human breast cancer samples. The location of each matrix spot was then determined and uploaded into the instrument to facilitate automated profile acquisition by MALDI-TOF. In the example shown, the different lesions were clearly differentiated using mass profiling. Further, the workflow permits a visual projection of any information produced from the profile analyses directly on the histological image for a unique combination of proteomic and histological assessment of sample regions. The higher performance characteristics offered by the new workflow promises to be a significant advancement toward the next generation of tissue profiling studies.
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| 8. |
- Dias, C M, et al.
(author)
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14CO2 dispersion around two PWR nuclear power plants in Brazil.
- 2009
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In: Journal of Environmental Radioactivity. - : Elsevier BV. - 1879-1700 .- 0265-931X. ; 100:7, s. 574-580
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Journal article (peer-reviewed)abstract
- Atmospheric air samples were taken within 3 km from power plants encompassing five different distances and wind directions. Samples were taken between 2002 and 2005 aiming to evaluate the environmental C-14 enrichment due to the operation of Brazilian nuclear power plants. The sampling system consisted of a pump connected to a trapping column filled with a 3 M NaOH solution. The trapped C-14 by using a single stage accelerator mass spectrometry (SSAMS). CO2 was analyzed for All sampling sites revealed measurable C-14 excess values. The maximum excesses were of 15 and 14 mBq/m(3) for sampling sites placed at NE of the power plants, which is the main wind direction in the area. The mean excesses values were 12 mBq/m(3) to the NE direction, 8 mBq/m to the E, 10 mBq/m to the N, 8 mBq/m(3) to the WNW and 7 mBq/m(3) to the W direction (increasing distances from NE to W). Compared to other Light Water Reactors (LWR) data, these means' values are significantly higher than the average worldwide reported value of 3 mBq/m(3). Available data indicate that the observed values are not related to C-14 emission by the power plants vent stack. Other factors, such as topography, seem to have an important role because it affects wind dispersion thus favoring C-14 accumulation in the sampled area. Moreover, the high elevations around the power plants enhance the chances to measure high values of C-14 since the plume can be intercepted before it is drawn to the ground. Modeling of the plume has shown that its dispersion does not follow a Gaussian model and that agreement between atmospheric CO2 and vegetation C-14 activities occurs only for sampling sites placed at NE of the power plants. (c) 2009 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.
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| 9. |
- Goncalves, Isabel, et al.
(author)
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Activation of calpain-1 in human carotid artery atherosclerotic lesions
- 2009
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In: BMC Cardiovascular Disorders. - : Springer Science and Business Media LLC. - 1471-2261. ; 9:26
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Journal article (peer-reviewed)abstract
- Background: In a previous study, we observed that oxidized low-density lipoprotein-induced death of endothelial cells was calpain-1-dependent. The purpose of the present paper was to study the possible activation of calpain in human carotid plaques, and to compare calpain activity in the plaques from symptomatic patients with those obtained from patients without symptoms. Methods: Human atherosclerotic carotid plaques (n = 29, 12 associated with symptoms) were removed by endarterectomy. Calpain activity and apoptosis were detected by performing immunohistochemical analysis and TUNEL assay on human carotid plaque sections. An antibody specific for calpain-proteolyzed alpha-fodrin was used on western blots. Results: We found that calpain was activated in all the plaques and calpain activity colocalized with apoptotic cell death. Our observation of autoproteolytic cleavage of the 80 kDa subunit of calpain-1 provided further evidence for enzyme activity in the plaque samples. When calpain activity was quantified, we found that plaques from symptomatic patients displayed significantly lower calpain activity compared with asymptomatic plaques. Conclusion: These novel results suggest that calpain-1 is commonly active in carotid artery atherosclerotic plaques, and that calpain activity is colocalized with cell death and inversely associated with symptoms.
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