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. |
- Yao, W-M, et al.
(author)
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Review of Particle Physics
- 2006
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In: Journal of Physics G: Nuclear and Particle Physics. - : IOP Publishing. - 0954-3899 .- 1361-6471. ; 33:1, s. 1-1
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Journal article (peer-reviewed)
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3. |
- Amsler, C., et al.
(author)
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Review of particle physics
- 2008
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In: Physics Letters. Section B: Nuclear, Elementary Particle and High-Energy Physics. - : Elsevier BV. - 0370-2693 .- 1873-2445. ; 667:1-5, s. 1-1
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Research review (peer-reviewed)abstract
- This biennial Review summarizes much of particle physics. Using data from previous editions., plus 2778 new measurements from 645 papers, we list, evaluate, and average measured properties of gauge bosons, leptons, quarks, mesons, and baryons. We also summarize searches for hypothetical particles such as Higgs bosons, heavy neutrinos, and supersymmetric particles. All the particle properties and search limits are listed in Summary Tables. We also give numerous tables, figures, formulae, and reviews of topics such as the Standard Model, particle detectors., probability, and statistics. Among the 108 reviews are many that are new or heavily revised including those on CKM quark-mixing matrix, V-ud & V-us, V-cb & V-ub, top quark, muon anomalous magnetic moment, extra dimensions, particle detectors, cosmic background radiation, dark matter, cosmological parameters, and big bang cosmology.
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4. |
- Feigelson, HS, et al.
(author)
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Haplotype analysis of the HSD17B1 gene and risk of breast cancer: A comprehensive approach to multicenter analyses of prospective cohort studies
- 2006
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In: Cancer Research. - 1538-7445. ; 66:4, s. 2468-2475
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Journal article (peer-reviewed)abstract
- The 17 beta-hydroxysteroid dehydrogenase 1 gene (HSD17B1) encodes 17HSD1, which catalyzes the final step of estradiol biosynthesis. Despite the important role of HSD17B1 in hormone metabolism, few epidemiologic studies of HSD17B1 and breast cancer have been conducted. This study includes 5,370 breast cancer cases and 7,480 matched controls from five large cohorts in the Breast and Prostate Cancer Cohort Consortium. We characterized variation in HSD17B1 by resequencing and dense genotyping a multiethnic sample and identified haplotype-tagging single nucleotide polymorphisms (htSNP) that capture common variation within a 33.3-kb region around HSD17B1. Four htSNPs, including the previously studied SNP rs605059 (S312G), were genotyped to tag five common haplotypes in all cases and controls. Conditional logistic regression was used to estimate odds ratios (OR) for disease. We found no evidence of association between common HSD17B1 haplotypes or htSNPs and overall risk of breast cancer. The OR for each haplotype relative to the most common haplotype ranged from 0.98 to 1.07 (omnibus test for association: X-2 = 3.77, P = 0.58, 5 degrees of freedom). When cases were subdivided by estrogen receptor (ER) status, two common haplotypes were associated with ER-negative tumors (test for trend, Ps = 0.0009 and 0.0076; n = 353 cases). HSD17B1 variants that are common in Caucasians are not associated with overall risk of breast cancer; however, there was an association among the subset of ER-negative tumors. Although the probability that these ER-negative findings are false-positive results is high, these findings were consistent across each cohort examined and warrant further study.
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5. |
- Haas, Brian J., et al.
(author)
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Genome sequence and analysis of the Irish potato famine pathogen Phytophthora infestans
- 2009
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In: Nature. - : Springer Science and Business Media LLC. - 0028-0836 .- 1476-4687. ; 461:7262, s. 393-398
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Journal article (peer-reviewed)abstract
- Phytophthora infestans is the most destructive pathogen of potato and a model organism for the oomycetes, a distinct lineage of fungus-like eukaryotes that are related to organisms such as brown algae and diatoms. As the agent of the Irish potato famine in the mid-nineteenth century, P. infestans has had a tremendous effect on human history, resulting in famine and population displacement(1). To this day, it affects world agriculture by causing the most destructive disease of potato, the fourth largest food crop and a critical alternative to the major cereal crops for feeding the world's population(1). Current annual worldwide potato crop losses due to late blight are conservatively estimated at $6.7 billion(2). Management of this devastating pathogen is challenged by its remarkable speed of adaptation to control strategies such as genetically resistant cultivars(3,4). Here we report the sequence of the P. infestans genome, which at similar to 240 megabases (Mb) is by far the largest and most complex genome sequenced so far in the chromalveolates. Its expansion results from a proliferation of repetitive DNA accounting for similar to 74% of the genome. Comparison with two other Phytophthora genomes showed rapid turnover and extensive expansion of specific families of secreted disease effector proteins, including many genes that are induced during infection or are predicted to have activities that alter host physiology. These fast-evolving effector genes are localized to highly dynamic and expanded regions of the P. infestans genome. This probably plays a crucial part in the rapid adaptability of the pathogen to host plants and underpins its evolutionary potential.
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6. |
- McGuire, A.D., et al.
(author)
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Sensitivity of the carbon cycle in the Arctic to climate change
- 2009
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In: Ecological Monographs. - : Wiley. - 0012-9615. ; 79:4, s. 523-555
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Journal article (peer-reviewed)abstract
- The recent warming in the Arctic is affecting a broad spectrum of physical, ecological, and human/cultural systems that may be irreversible on century time scales and have the potential to cause rapid changes in the earth system. The response of the carbon cycle of the Arctic to changes in climate is a major issue of global concern, yet there has not been a comprehensive review of the status of the contemporary carbon cycle of the Arctic and its response to climate change. This review is designed to clarify key uncertainties and vulnerabilities in the response of the carbon cycle of the Arctic to ongoing climatic change. While it is clear that there are substantial stocks of carbon in the Arctic, there are also significant uncertainties associated with the magnitude of organic matter stocks contained in permafrost and the storage of methane hydrates beneath both subterranean and submerged permafrost of the Arctic. In the context of the global carbon cycle, this review demonstrates that the Arctic plays an important role in the global dynamics of both CO2 and CH4. Studies suggest that the Arctic has been a sink for atmospheric CO2 of between 0 and 0.8 Pg C/yr in recent decades, which is between 0% and 25% of the global net land/ocean flux during the 1990s. The Arctic is a substantial source of CH4 to the atmosphere (between 32 and 112 Tg CH4/yr), primarily because of the large area of wetlands throughout the region. Analyses to date indicate that the sensitivity of the carbon cycle of the Arctic during the remainder of the 21st century is highly uncertain. To improve the capability to assess the sensitivity of the carbon cycle of the Arctic to projected climate change, we recommend that (1) integrated regional studies be conducted to link observations of carbon dynamics to the processes that are likely to influence those dynamics, and (2) the understanding gained from these integrated studies be incorporated into both uncoupled and fully coupled carbon–climate modeling efforts.
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7. |
- Regan, P H, et al.
(author)
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Vibrational and rotational sequences in Mo-101 and Ru-103,Ru-4 studied via multinucleon transfer reactions
- 2005
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In: Acta Physica Polonica B. - 0587-4254 .- 1509-5770. ; 36:4, s. 1313-1322
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Journal article (peer-reviewed)abstract
- The near-yrast states of Mo-101(42)59 and Ru-103,4(44)59,60 have been studied following their population via heavy-ion multinucleon transfer reactions between a Xe-136 beam and a thin, self-supporting Mo-100 target. The ground state sequence in Ru-104 can be understood as demonstrating a simple evolution from a quasi-vibrational structure at lower spins to statically deformed, quasi-rotational excitation involving the population of a pair of low-Omega h(11/2) neutron orbitals. The effect of the decoupled h(11/2) orbital on this vibration-to-rotational evolution is demonstrated by an extension of the "E-GOS" prescription to include odd-A nuclei. The experimental results are also compared with self-consistent Total Routhian Surface calculations which also highlight the polarising role of the highly aligned neutron h(11/2) orbital in these nuclei.
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8. |
- Atek, H., et al.
(author)
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Empirical estimate of Lyα escape fraction in a statistical sample of Lyα emitters
- 2009
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In: Astronomy and Astrophysics. - : EDP Sciences. - 0004-6361 .- 1432-0746. ; 506:2, s. L1-L4
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Journal article (peer-reviewed)abstract
- Context: The Lyman-alpha (Lyα) recombination line is a fundamental tool for galaxy evolution studies and modern observational cosmology. However, subsequent interpretations are still prone to a number of uncertainties. Besides numerical efforts, empirical data are urgently needed for a better understanding of the Lyα escape process. Aims: We empirically estimate the Lyα escape fraction in a statistically significant sample of galaxies in a redshift range z ~ 0 - 0.3. This estimate will constrain interpretations of current high-redshift Lyα observations. Methods: An optical spectroscopic follow-up of a sub-sample of 24 Lyα emitters detected by GALEX at z ~ 0.2 - 0.3, combined with a UV-optical sample of local starbursts, both with matched apertures, allow us to quantify the dust extinction through Balmer lines, and to estimate the Lyα escape fraction from the Hα flux corrected for extinction in the framework of the recombination theory. Results: The global escape fraction of Lyα radiation spans a wide range of values and fesc(Lyα) clearly decreases with increasing nebular dust extinction E(B-V). Several objects show fesc(Lyα) greater than fesc(continuum), which may be taken as observational evidence for a clumpy ISM geometry or for an aspherical ISM. Selection biases and aperture size effects may still prevail between z ~ 0.2 - 0.3 Lyman-alpha emitters (LAEs) and local starbursts and may explain the difference observed for fesc(Lyα).
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10. |
- Mannervik, Bengt, et al.
(author)
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Nomenclature for mammalian soluble glutathione transferases
- 2005
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In: Methods of Enzymology. ; 401, s. 1-8
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Journal article (peer-reviewed)abstract
- The nomenclature for human soluble glutathione transferases (GSTs) is extended to include new members of the GST superfamily that have been discovered, sequenced, and shown to be expressed. The GST nomenclature is based on primary structure similarities and the division of GSTs into classes of more closely related sequences. The classes are designated by the names of the Greek letters: Alpha, Mu, Pi, etc., abbreviated in Roman capitals: A, M, P, and so on. (The Greek characters should not be used.) Class members are distinguished by Arabic numerals and the native dimeric protein structures are named according to their subunit composition (e.g., GST A1-2 is the enzyme composed of subunits 1 and 2 in the Alpha class). Soluble GSTs from other mammalian species can be classified in the same manner as the human enzymes, and this chapter presents the application of the nomenclature to the rat and mouse GSTs.
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11. |
- Pitteloud, N, et al.
(author)
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Relationship between testosterone levels, insulin sensitivity, and mitochondrial function in men
- 2005
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In: Diabetes Care. - 1935-5548. ; 28:7, s. 1636-1642
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Journal article (peer-reviewed)abstract
- OBJECTIVE - The goal of this study was to examine the relationship between serum testosterone levels and insulin sensitivity and mitochondrial function in men, RESEARCH DESIGN AND METHODS - A total of 60 men (mean age 60.5 +/- 1.2 years) had a detailed hormonal and metabolic evaluation. Insulin sensitivity was measured Using a hyperinsulinemic-euglycemic clamp. Mitochondrial function was assessed by measuring maximal aerobic capacity (Vo(2max)) and expression of oxidative phosphorylation gene,, in skeletal muscle, RESULTS - A total of 45% of subjects had normal glucose tolerance, 20% had impaired glucose tolerance, and 35% had type 2 diabetes. Testosterone levels were correlated with insulin sensitivity (r = 0.4, P < 0.005). Subjects with hypogonadal testosterone levels (n = 10) had a BMI > 25 kg/m(2) and a threefold higher prevalence of the metabolic syndrome than their eugonadal counterparts (n = 50) this relationship held true after adjusting for age and sex hormone-binding globulin but not BMI. Testosterone levels also correlated with (Vo(2max),11 0 = 0.43, P < 0.05) and oxidative phosphorylation gene expression (r = 0.57, P < 0.0001). CONCLUSIONS - These data indicate that low serum testosterone levels are associated with an adverse metabolic profile and suggest a novel unifying mechanism for the previously independent observations that low testosterone levels and impaired mitochondrial function promote insulin resistance in men.
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13. |
- Willer, Cristen J., et al.
(author)
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Six new loci associated with body mass index highlight a neuronal influence on body weight regulation
- 2009
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In: Nature Genetics. - : Springer Science and Business Media LLC. - 1546-1718 .- 1061-4036. ; 41:1, s. 25-34
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Journal article (peer-reviewed)abstract
- Common variants at only two loci, FTO and MC4R, have been reproducibly associated with body mass index (BMI) in humans. To identify additional loci, we conducted meta-analysis of 15 genome-wide association studies for BMI (n > 32,000) and followed up top signals in 14 additional cohorts (n > 59,000). We strongly confirm FTO and MC4R and identify six additional loci (P < 5 x 10(-8)): TMEM18, KCTD15, GNPDA2, SH2B1, MTCH2 and NEGR1 (where a 45-kb deletion polymorphism is a candidate causal variant). Several of the likely causal genes are highly expressed or known to act in the central nervous system (CNS), emphasizing, as in rare monogenic forms of obesity, the role of the CNS in predisposition to obesity.
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