Tensionless supersymmetric M2 branes in AdS4×S7AdS_4 \times S^7 and Giant Diabolo

We find various supersymmetric configurations of toroidal M2 brane solutions in \AdS_4 \times S^7 or, more generally, in \AdS_4 \times S^7/Z_k. In this class we identify solutions preserving 1/4 and 1/8 supersymmetries of the background. The supersymmetric M2 branes have angular momenta and winding on $S^7$, and null world-volumes. In certain cases they collapse to string-like configurations. These configurations can be viewed as a higher-dimensional (membrane) analog of BMN states. We compute the energy and angular momenta, showing that all supersymmetric configurations obey the BPS relation $E=J/R$,\ $J= \sum_{i=1}^4 |J_i|$ with $E, J\to \infty$. Finally, we also study another class of supersymmetric M2-branes, including uncompact rotating membranes of "diabolo" shape.Comment: 27 pages, 3 figures. Small correction

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

Ação da doramectina injetável sobre Haematobia irritans em bovinos naturalmente infestados: resultados de observações simultâneas no Brasil e Argentina Action of injectable doramectin on Haematobia irritans incattle naturally infested: results of simultaneous observations in Brazil and Argentina

Um teste de campo, realizado simultaneamente no Brasil (Eldorado do Sul, Rio Grande do Sul) e Argentina (Rafaela, Santa Fé), avaliou o comportamento da doramectina injetável sobre insetos adultos de Haematobia irritans. Em ambos os locais, utilizaram-se 40 animais (20 vacas e 20 novilhas), sendo que 20 foram tratados e 20 permaneceram como controle. Realizaram-se contagens de moscas nos dias 0, 1, 4, 7, 10, 14, 21, 28 e 35 pós-tratamento. Em comparação com o grupo controle, a eficácia observada no Brasil foi inferior a 50% no dia 1, e 84,4, 72,6, 81,4, 74,2, 79,2, 50,7 e 64,7% nos demais dias de observação enquanto na Argentina, foi de 97,3, 84,2, 95,9, 92,2, 93,6, 63,3, 73, 8 e 66,9%, respectivamente. Em ambos os países, ocorreu uma contribuição dessa avermectina para a diminuição da população de insetos adultos de H. irritans embora os resultados obtidos no Brasil tenham apresentado uma eficácia menor que os constatados na Argentina.<br>A field test aiming an evaluation of the injectable doramectin on the horn-fly Haematobia irritans was carried out simultaneously in Brazil and Argentina. Both places, Eldorado do Sul, RS, Brazil and Rafaela, Santa Fé, Argentina, utilized a total number of forty adult animals being twenty treated and twenty controls. Flies were counted on days 0, 1, 4, 7, 10, 14, 21, 28 and 35 post-treatment (p.t.). By comparison with control group efficacy in Brazil was less than 50% in day +1 p.t., 84.4, 72.6, 81.4, 74.2, 79.2, 50.7 and 64.7% in the subsequent days while in Argentina was 97.3, 84.2, 95.9, 92.2, 93.6, 63.3, 73.8 and 66.9% respectively. A decrease on natural population of horn-fly was observed in both places indicating a contribution of this avermectin formulation in the control of this insect although results in Brazil showed less efficacy than in Argentina

Discharge Protection and Ageing of Micromegas Pixel Detectors

GridPix is a gas-filled detector in which a Micromegas is combined with a CMOS pixel chip. The GridPix detector, originally developed for the readout of TPCs, can be applied as X-ray imaging device. With a drift gap of only one mm, GridPix could be well applied as radiation hard, low power, (and therefore) low-mass vertex (track) detector. A procedure to construct a Micromegas onto a Si wafer, using chip production technology (‘wafer post processing’), has been developed. A method to protect the CMOS anode pixel chip against discharges has been studied. An ageing test of a Micromegas chamber has been carried out, after verifying the chamber’s proportionality at a very high dose rat

A search for faint resolved galaxies beyond the Milky Way in DES Year 6: a new faint, diffuse dwarf satellite of NGC 55

We report results from a systematic wide-area search for faint dwarf galaxies at heliocentric distances from 0.3 to 2 Mpc using the full six years of data from the Dark Energy Survey (DES). Unlike previous searches over the DES data, this search specifically targeted a field population of faint galaxies located beyond the Milky Way virial radius. We derive our detection efficiency for faint, resolved dwarf galaxies in the Local Volume with a set of synthetic galaxies and expect our search to be complete to MV ~ (−7,−10) mag for galaxies at D=(0.3,2.0) Mpc respectively. We find no new field dwarfs in the DES footprint, but we report the discovery of one high-significance candidate dwarf galaxy at a distance of 2.2+0.05−0.12 Mpc, a potential satellite of the Local Volume galaxy NGC 55, separated by 47 arcmin (physical separation as small as 30 kpc). We estimate this dwarf galaxy to have an absolute V-band magnitude of −8.0+0.5−0.3 mag and an azimuthally averaged physical half-light radius of 2.2+0.5−0.4 kpc, making this one of the lowest surface brightness galaxies ever found with μ=32.3 mag arcsec−2. This is the largest, most diffuse galaxy known at this luminosity, suggesting possible tidal interactions with its host