Three New Species Of Bertolonia (melastomataceae) From Espírito Santo, Brazil

Coordenação de Aperfeiçoamento de Pessoal de Nível Superior (CAPES)Conselho Nacional de Desenvolvimento Científico e Tecnológico (CNPq)Conselho Nacional de Desenvolvimento Científico e Tecnológico (CNPq)We describe and illustrate three new species of Bertolonia, all endemic to the state of Espírito Santo, Brazil. Bertolonia duasbocaensis and B. macrocalyx occur close to each other, in the municipalities of Cariacica and Viana. Bertolonia ruschiana has a wider distribution, occurring in the municipalities of Santa Leopoldina, Santa Maria de Jetibá and Santa Teresa. The first two species are classified as critically endangered (CR), and the latter as endangered (EN). We also present an identification key for the species of Bertolonia that occur in Espírito Santo. © 2016 Bacci et al.201612CAPES, Coordenação de Aperfeiçoamento de Pessoal de Nível Superior306852/2013-6, CNPq, Conselho Nacional de Desenvolvimento Científico e Tecnológico310717/2015-9, CNPq, Conselho Nacional de Desenvolvimento Científico e TecnológicoDEB-1343612, NSF, National Science FoundationDEB-818399, NSF, National Science FoundationCoordenação de Aperfeiçoamento de Pessoal de Nível Superior (CAPES)Conselho Nacional de Desenvolvimento Científico e Tecnológico (CNPq)Conselho Nacional de Desenvolvimento Científico e Tecnológico (CNPq

Toxicokinetics of copper and cadmium in the soil model Enchytraeus crypticus (Oligochaeta)

Toxicokinetics information is key to understanding the underlying intoxication processes, although this is often lacking. Hence, in the present study the toxicokinetics of copper (Cu) and cadmium (Cd) was assessed in the soil invertebrate Enchytraeus crypticus. The animals were exposed in LUFA 2.2 natural soil spiked to the estimated EC20 for reproduction effects in the Enchytraeid Reproduction Test (ERT), i.e. 80 mg Cu/kg soil Dry Weight (DW) and 20 mg Cd/kg soil DW. Tests followed the OECD guideline 317, including a 14-day uptake phase in spiked soil followed by 14 days elimination in clean soil, with samplings at days 0, 1, 2, 4, 7, 10, and 14. Exposure to Cu showed fast uptake, reaching a steady state after approx. 7 days, whereas for Cd, internal concentration increased and did not reach a clear steady state even after 14 days. When transferred to clean soil, Cu was rapidly eliminated returning to initial levels, while Cd-exposed animals still contained increased residue levels after 14 days. These differences in toxicokinetics have consequences for the toxicity and toxicodynamics and are indicative of the way essential and non-essential elements are handled by enchytraeids, likely also other soil invertebrates. This argues for the relevancy of longer exposure testing for elements like Cd compared to Cu, where phenotypical effects can well occur later at non-tested periods, e.g. after the 21 days’ duration of the standard ERT using E. crypticus

Search for direct production of charginos and neutralinos in events with three leptons and missing transverse momentum in √s = 7 TeV pp collisions with the ATLAS detector

A search for the direct production of charginos and neutralinos in final states with three electrons or muons and missing transverse momentum is presented. The analysis is based on 4.7 fb−1 of proton–proton collision data delivered by the Large Hadron Collider and recorded with the ATLAS detector. Observations are consistent with Standard Model expectations in three signal regions that are either depleted or enriched in Z-boson decays. Upper limits at 95% confidence level are set in R-parity conserving phenomenological minimal supersymmetric models and in simplified models, significantly extending previous results

Measurement of D*+/- meson production in jets from pp collisions at sqrt(s) = 7 TeV with the ATLAS detector

This paper reports a measurement of D*+/- meson production in jets from proton-proton collisions at a center-of-mass energy of sqrt(s) = 7 TeV at the CERN Large Hadron Collider. The measurement is based on a data sample recorded with the ATLAS detector with an integrated luminosity of 0.30 pb^-1 for jets with transverse momentum between 25 and 70 GeV in the pseudorapidity range |eta| < 2.5. D*+/- mesons found in jets are fully reconstructed in the decay chain: D*+ -> D0pi+, D0 -> K-pi+, and its charge conjugate. The production rate is found to be N(D*+/-)/N(jet) = 0.025 +/- 0.001(stat.) +/- 0.004(syst.) for D*+/- mesons that carry a fraction z of the jet momentum in the range 0.3 < z < 1. Monte Carlo predictions fail to describe the data at small values of z, and this is most marked at low jet transverse momentum.Comment: 10 pages plus author list (22 pages total), 5 figures, 1 table, matches published version in Physical Review

Search for supersymmetry in final states with jets, missing transverse momentum and one isolated lepton in sqrt{s} = 7 TeV pp collisions using 1 fb-1 of ATLAS data

We present an update of a search for supersymmetry in final states containing jets, missing transverse momentum, and one isolated electron or muon, using 1.04 fb^-1 of proton-proton collision data at sqrt{s} = 7 TeV recorded by the ATLAS experiment at the LHC in the first half of 2011. The analysis is carried out in four distinct signal regions with either three or four jets and variations on the (missing) transverse momentum cuts, resulting in optimized limits for various supersymmetry models. No excess above the standard model background expectation is observed. Limits are set on the visible cross-section of new physics within the kinematic requirements of the search. The results are interpreted as limits on the parameters of the minimal supergravity framework, limits on cross-sections of simplified models with specific squark and gluino decay modes, and limits on parameters of a model with bilinear R-parity violation.Comment: 18 pages plus author list (30 pages total), 9 figures, 4 tables, final version to appear in Physical Review

Reducing heterotic M-theory to five dimensional supergravity on a manifold with boundary

This paper constructs the reduction of heterotic $M$-theory in eleven dimensions to a supergravity model on a manifold with boundary in five dimensions using a Calabi-Yau three-fold. New results are presented for the boundary terms in the action and for the boundary conditions on the bulk fields. Some general features of dualisation on a manifold with boundary are used to explain the origin of some topological terms in the action. The effect of gaugino condensation on the fermion boundary conditions leads to a `twist' in the chirality of the gravitino which can provide an uplifting mechanism in the vacuum energy to cancel the cosmological constant after moduli stabilisation.Comment: 16 pages, RevTe

Pathogenic Rickettsia in ticks of spur-thighed tortoise (Testudo Graeca) sold in a Qatar live animal market

The dissemination of vector arthropods harbouring zoonotic pathogens through the uncontrolled transboundary trade of exotic and pet animals poses an important threat to Public Health. In the present report, we describe the introduction of pathogenic Rickettsia africae and R. aeschlimanni in ticks removed from imported tortoises in Qatar. A total of 21 ticks were collected from pet spur‐thighed tortoises (Testudo graeca) from Doha, May 2018, and studied for species identification and characterization of Rickettsia spp. Morphological and molecular analysis of ticks allowed their identification as Hyalomma aegyptium. Molecular analysis of partial ompA and gltA genes showed that Rickettsia sequences found on these ticks clustered with sequences classified as R. aeschilimanii and R. africae. Since pre‐adult stages of H. aegyptium also feed on humans, this tick species may play a role in the transmission of R. aeschilimanii and R. africae. We alert for the introduction of non‐native pets as vehicles for tick importation, known vectors for animal and human pathogenic agents. Importation of exotic species into non‐autochthonous countries deserves strict control to enforce robust surveillance and mitigate potential exotic diseases epidemics.P. Barradas (SFRH/BD/116449/2016) acknowledges the Portuguese Foundation for Science and Technology (FCT) for financial support. IPATIMUP integrates the i3S Research Unit, which is partially supported by FEDER funds through the Operational Programme for Competitiveness Factors‐COMPETE and National Funds through the FCT, under the project number Pest‐C/SAU/LA0003/2013. This paper was published under the framework of the European Social Fund, Human Resources Development Operational Programme 2007–2013 (POSDRU/159/1.5/S/136893).info:eu-repo/semantics/publishedVersio

Measurement of tau polarization in W->taunu decays with the ATLAS detector in pp collisions at sqrt(s) = 7 TeV

In this paper, a measurement of tau polarization in W->taunu decays is presented. It is measured from the energies of the decay products in hadronic tau decays with a single final state charged particle. The data, corresponding to an integrated luminosity of 24 pb^-1, were collected by the ATLAS experiment at the Large Hadron Collider in 2010. The measured value of the tau polarization is Ptau = -1.06 +/- 0.04 (stat) + 0.05 (syst) - 0.07 (syst), in agreement with the Standard Model prediction, and is consistent with a physically allowed 95% CL interval [-1,-0.91]. Measurements of tau polarization have not previously been made at hadron colliders.Comment: 10 pages plus author list (25 pages total), 4 figures, 4 tables, revised author list, matches published EPJC versio

Molecular mechanisms of zinc toxicity in the potworm Enchytraeus crypticus, analysed by high-throughput gene expression profiling

Zinc (Zn) is known to be relatively toxic to some soil-living invertebrates including the ecologically important enchytraeid worms. To reveal the molecular mechanisms of zinc toxicity we assessed the gene expression profile of Enchytraeus crypticus (Enchytraeidae), exposed to the reproduction effect concentrations EC10 and EC50, over 4 consecutive days, using a high-throughput microarray (species customized). Three main mechanisms of toxicity to Zn were observed: 1) Zn trafficking (upregulation of zinc transporters, a defence response to regulate the cellular zinc level), 2) oxidative stress (variety of defence mechanisms, triggered by Reactive Oxygen Species (ROS)), and 3) effects on the nervous system (possibly the primary lesion explaining the avoidance behaviour and also why enchytraeids are relatively susceptible to Zn). The adverse outcome at the organism level (reproduction EC50) could be predicted based on gene expression (male gonad development, oocyte maturation), with Zn at the EC50 affecting processes related to higher stress levels. The gene expression response was time-dependent and reflected the cascade of events taking place over-time. The 1 to 4 days of exposure design was a good strategy as it captured the time for sequence of events towards zinc adverse outcomes in E. crypticus

Measurement of the correlation between flow harmonics of different order in lead-lead collisions at √sNN = 2.76 TeV with the ATLAS detector

Correlations between the elliptic or triangular flow coefficients vm (m=2 or 3) and other flow harmonics vn (n=2 to 5) are measured using √sNN=2.76 TeV Pb+Pb collision data collected in 2010 by the ATLAS experiment at the LHC, corresponding to an integrated luminosity of 7 μb−1. The vm−vn correlations are measured in midrapidity as a function of centrality, and, for events within the same centrality interval, as a function of event ellipticity or triangularity defined in a forward rapidity region. For events within the same centrality interval, v3 is found to be anticorrelated with v2 and this anticorrelation is consistent with similar anticorrelations between the corresponding eccentricities, ε2 and ε3. However, it is observed that v4 increases strongly with v2, and v5 increases strongly with both v2 and v3. The trend and strength of the vm−vn correlations for n=4 and 5 are found to disagree with εm−εn correlations predicted by initial-geometry models. Instead, these correlations are found to be consistent with the combined effects of a linear contribution to vn and a nonlinear term that is a function of v22 or of v2v3, as predicted by hydrodynamic models. A simple two-component fit is used to separate these two contributions. The extracted linear and nonlinear contributions to v4 and v5 are found to be consistent with previously measured event-plane correlations