Pair production in a strong slowly varying magnetic field: the effect of a background gravitational field

The production probability of an $e^--e^+$ pair in the presence of a strong, uniform and slowly varying magnetic field is calculated by taking into account the presence of a background gravitational field. The curvature of the spacetime metric induced by the gravitational field not only changes the transition probabilities calculated in the Minkowski spacetime but also primes transitions that are strictly forbidden in absence of the gravitational field.Comment: 56 pages, no figure

Comparative gut transcriptome analysis of Diatraea saccharalis in response to the dietary source.

The sugarcane borer (Diatraea saccharalis, Fabricius, 1794) is a devastating pest that causes millions of dollars of losses each year to sugarcane producers by reducing sugar and ethanol yields. The control of this pest is difficult due to its endophytic behavior and rapid development. Pest management through biotechnological approaches has emerged in recent years as an alternative to currently applied methods. Genetic information about the target pests is often required to perform biotechnology-based management. The genomic and transcriptomic data for D. saccharalis are very limited. Herein, we report a tissue-specific transcriptome of D. saccharalis larvae and a differential expression analysis highlighting the physiological characteristics of this pest in response to two different diets: sugarcane and an artificial diet. Sequencing was performed on the Illumina HiSeq 2000 platform, and a de novo assembly was generated. A total of 27,626 protein-coding unigenes were identified, among which 1,934 sequences were differentially expressed between treatments. Processes such as defence, digestion, detoxification, signaling, and transport were highly represented among the differentially expressed genes (DEGs). Furthermore, seven aminopeptidase genes were identified as candidates to encode receptors of Cry proteins, which are toxins of Bacillus thuringiensis used to control lepidopteran pests. Since plant-insect interactions have produced a considerable number of adaptive responses in hosts and herbivorous insects, the success of phytophagous insects relies on their ability to overcome challenges such as the response to plant defences and the intake of nutrients. In this study, we identified metabolic pathways and specific genes involved in these processes. Thus, our data strongly contribute to the knowledge advancement of insect transcripts, which can be a source of target genes for pest management

The M 4 Core Project with HST - III. Search for variable stars in the primary field

We present the results of a photometric search for variable stars in the core of the Galactic globular cluster Messier 4 (M 4). The input data are a large and unprecedented set of deep Hubble Space Telescope WFC3 images (large programme GO-12911; 120 orbits allocated), primarily aimed at probing binaries with massive companions by detecting their astrometric wobbles. Though these data were not optimized to carry out a time-resolved photometric survey, their exquisite precision, spatial resolution and dynamic range enabled us to firmly detect 38 variable stars, of which 20 were previously unpublished. They include 19 clustermember eclipsing binaries (confirming the large binary fraction ofM4), RR Lyrae and objects with known X-ray counterparts. We improved and revised the parameters of some among published variables

Subarachnoid versus General Anesthesia in Penile Prosthetic Implantation: Outcomes Analyses

The leading patient complaint during the perioperative period for penile prosthesis implantation is postoperative pain, while emesis and urticaria also affect the procedure’s perceived success. In analyzing surgical outcomes, assessment of the anesthetic for postoperative pain and side effects should be included. This paper retrospectively reviews 90 consecutive, primary inflatable penile prosthetic operations performed by a single surgeon at one private medical center. Fifty-seven patients were included in final analysis. Patients who had more than one procedure that day or who used chronic pain medication were excluded. The type and amount of each drug used for each respective side effect (within the first 24 hours after procedure) were compared to determine relative benefit. Twenty patients received general anesthesia (denoted herein as “GA”) and 37 received spinal (or also known as subarachnoid) anesthesia (denoted herein as “SA”). Patients receiving GA had significantly greater (P<0.0001) occurrence and amount of intravenous pain treatment than those receiving SA. Patients with SA required less intravenous pain medication and less treatment for nausea/emesis

Emotion based attentional priority for storage in visual short-term memory

A plethora of research demonstrates that the processing of emotional faces is prioritised over non-emotive stimuli when cognitive resources are limited (this is known as ‘emotional superiority’). However, there is debate as to whether competition for processing resources results in emotional superiority per se, or more specifically, threat superiority. Therefore, to investigate prioritisation of emotional stimuli for storage in visual short-term memory (VSTM), we devised an original VSTM report procedure using schematic (angry, happy, neutral) faces in which processing competition was manipulated. In Experiment 1, display exposure time was manipulated to create competition between stimuli. Participants (n = 20) had to recall a probed stimulus from a set size of four under high (150 ms array exposure duration) and low (400 ms array exposure duration) perceptual processing competition. For the high competition condition (i.e. 150 ms exposure), results revealed an emotional superiority effect per se. In Experiment 2 (n = 20), we increased competition by manipulating set size (three versus five stimuli), whilst maintaining a constrained array exposure duration of 150 ms. Here, for the five-stimulus set size (i.e. maximal competition) only threat superiority emerged. These findings demonstrate attentional prioritisation for storage in VSTM for emotional faces. We argue that task demands modulated the availability of processing resources and consequently the relative magnitude of the emotional/threat superiority effect, with only threatening stimuli prioritised for storage in VSTM under more demanding processing conditions. Our results are discussed in light of models and theories of visual selection, and not only combine the two strands of research (i.e. visual selection and emotion), but highlight a critical factor in the processing of emotional stimuli is availability of processing resources, which is further constrained by task demands

The predictive and prognostic potential of plasma telomerase reverse transcriptase (TERT) RNA in rectal cancer patients

Background: Preoperative chemoradiotherapy (CRT) followed by surgery is the standard care for locally advanced rectal cancer, but tumour response to CRT and disease outcome are variable. The current study aimed to investigate the effectiveness of plasma telomerase reverse transcriptase (TERT) levels in predicting tumour response and clinical outcome. Methods: 176 rectal cancer patients were included. Plasma samples were collected at baseline (before CRT\ubcT0), 2 weeks after CRT was initiated (T1), post-CRT and before surgery (T2), and 4\u20138 months after surgery (T3) time points. Plasma TERT mRNA levels and total cell-free RNA were determined using real-time PCR. Results: Plasma levels of TERT were significantly lower at T2 (Po0.0001) in responders than in non-responders. Post-CRT TERT levels and the differences between pre- and post-CRT TERT levels independently predicted tumour response, and the prediction model had an area under curve of 0.80 (95% confidence interval (CI) 0.73\u20130.87). Multiple analysis demonstrated that patients with detectable TERT levels at T2 and T3 time points had a risk of disease progression 2.13 (95% CI 1.10\u20134.11)-fold and 4.55 (95% CI 1.48\u201313.95)-fold higher, respectively, than those with undetectable plasma TERT levels. Conclusions: Plasma TERT levels are independent markers of tumour response and are prognostic of disease progression in rectal cancer patients who undergo neoadjuvant therapy

Peeling the Otolith of Fish: Optimal Parameterization for Micro-CT Scanning

In this paper, we aim to provide optimal parameters for micro-computed tomography scans of fish otoliths. We tested fifteen different combinations to sagittae. The images were scaled to Hounsfield units, and segmented in two distinct volumes-of-interest (external and internal). The strategy we applied, for identifying optimum scan settings for otoliths, included analyses of the sinogram, the distribution of the Hounsfield units and the signal-to-noise ratio. Based on these tests, the optimum sets of parameters for the acquisition of tomographic images of sagittal otoilths were 80 kV, 220 μA, and 0.5 mm aluminum filter. The method allowed 3D shape analysis, internal and external density distribution, layer-by-layer density segmentation, and a potential objective method to count growth rings in otoliths. It was possible to compare mean densities between species, and we observed a significant difference among them. In addition, there are ontogenic changes, which could be increasing or decreasing the density. In this study, we applied tomography for several otolith analysis, that could be of great interest for future studies in diverse areas that use otoliths as the basic structure of analysis, or represents a new research line called eco-densitometry of otoliths, where tomography could be applied to explore the density within an ecological perspective.Fil: Vasconcelos Filho, Jonas. Universidad Federal Rural Pernambuco; BrasilFil: Thomsen, Felix Sebastian Leo. Universidad Nacional del Sur. Departamento de Ingeniería Eléctrica y de Computadoras; Argentina. Consejo Nacional de Investigaciones Científicas y Técnicas. Centro Científico Tecnológico Conicet - Bahía Blanca; ArgentinaFil: Stosic, Borko. Universidad Federal Rural Pernambuco; BrasilFil: Antonino, Antonio C. D.. Universidad Federal Rural Pernambuco; BrasilFil: Duarte, Daniel A.. Universidad Federal Rural Pernambuco; BrasilFil: Heck, Richard J.. University of Guelph; CanadáFil: Lessa, Rosangela P. T.. Universidad Federal Rural Pernambuco; BrasilFil: Santana, Francisco M.. Universidad Federal Rural Pernambuco; BrasilFil: Ferreira, Beatrice P.. Universidad Federal Rural Pernambuco; BrasilFil: Duarte Neto, Paulo J.. Universidad Federal Rural Pernambuco; Brasi

The Polarised Valence Quark Distribution from semi-inclusive DIS

The semi-inclusive difference asymmetry A^{h^{+}-h^{-}} for hadrons of opposite charge has been measured by the COMPASS experiment at CERN. The data were collected in the years 2002-2004 using a 160 GeV polarised muon beam scattered off a large polarised ^6LiD target and cover the range 0.006 < x < 0.7 and 1 < Q^2 < 100 (GeV/c)^2. In leading order QCD (LO) the asymmetry A_d^{h^{+}-h^{-}} measures the valence quark polarisation and provides an evaluation of the first moment of Delta u_v + Delta d_v which is found to be equal to 0.40 +- 0.07 (stat.) +- 0.05 (syst.) over the measured range of x at Q^2 = 10 (GeV/c)^2. When combined with the first moment of g_1^d previously measured on the same data, this result favours a non-symmetric polarisation of light quarks Delta u-bar = - Delta d-bar at a confidence level of two standard deviations, in contrast to the often assumed symmetric scenario Delta u-bar = Delta d-bar = Delta s-bar = Delta s.Comment: 7 pages, 3 figures, COMPASS, revised: details added, author list update