3,175 research outputs found
Community ecology of the metazoan parasites of namorado sandperches, Pseudopercis numida Miranda-Ribeiro, 1903 and P. semifasciata Cuvier, 1829 (Perciformes: Pinguipedidae), from the coastal zone of the State of Rio de Janeiro, Brazil
d=3 Bosonic Vector Models Coupled to Chern-Simons Gauge Theories
We study three dimensional O(N)_k and U(N)_k Chern-Simons theories coupled to
a scalar field in the fundamental representation, in the large N limit. For
infinite k this is just the singlet sector of the O(N) (U(N)) vector model,
which is conjectured to be dual to Vasiliev's higher spin gravity theory on
AdS_4. For large k and N we obtain a parity-breaking deformation of this
theory, controlled by the 't Hooft coupling lambda = 4 \pi N / k. For infinite
N we argue (and show explicitly at two-loop order) that the theories with
finite lambda are conformally invariant, and also have an exactly marginal
(\phi^2)^3 deformation.
For large but finite N and small 't Hooft coupling lambda, we show that there
is still a line of fixed points parameterized by the 't Hooft coupling lambda.
We show that, at infinite N, the interacting non-parity-invariant theory with
finite lambda has the same spectrum of primary operators as the free theory,
consisting of an infinite tower of conserved higher-spin currents and a scalar
operator with scaling dimension \Delta=1; however, the correlation functions of
these operators do depend on lambda. Our results suggest that there should
exist a family of higher spin gravity theories, parameterized by lambda, and
continuously connected to Vasiliev's theory. For finite N the higher spin
currents are not conserved.Comment: 34 pages, 29 figures. v2: added reference
Age-specific salivary immunoglobulin A response to Streptococcus mutans GbpB
In a follow-up study of children infected with Streptococcus mutans at an early age (children previously shown to respond poorly to S. mutans GbpB), there was a delay in their immune response, rather than a complete inability to respond to this antigen. Epitopes in the N-terminal third of GbpB were identified as targets for naturally induced immunoglobulin A antibody in children at an early age.14680480
Role of aetiology in the progression, regression, and parenchymal remodelling of liver disease: implications for liver biopsy interpretation
Clinicopathological concepts on acute and chronic liver disease have evolved rapidly during the last few years, with advances in general and specific treatment options and improved patient outcomes. The old paradigm of âirreversibilityâ of cirrhosis had been challenged in major ways, and the validity of the usage of the term âcirrhosisâ has come into question. This paper addresses aetiology-based clinicopathological concepts and features that may deserve attention because they may determine disease outcome and, specifically, patterns of regression and remodelling. A variety of therapeutic interventions may influence remaining disease features after elimination of damaging agents (virus, alcohol, etc.), and determine the final clinical outcome including the risk of hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC). New concepts create new responsibilities and opportunities for the pathologist to contribute to the understanding of liver pathology and communicate this with clinical colleagues and researchers
Endurance of methanogenic archaea in anaerobic bioreactors treating oleate-based wastewater
Methanogenic archaea are reported as very sensitive to lipids and long chain fatty acids (LCFA). Therefore, in conventional anaerobic processes, methane recovery during LCFA-rich wastewater treatment is usually low. By applying a start-up strategy, based on a sequence of step feeding and reaction cycles, an oleate-rich wastewater was efficiently treated at an organic loading rate of 21 kg COD m(-3) day(-1) (50 % as oleate), showing a methane recovery of 72 %. In the present work, the archaeal community developed in that reactor is investigated using a 16S rRNA gene approach. This is the first time that methanogens present in a bioreactor converting efficiently high loads of LCFA to methane are monitored. Denaturing gradient gel electrophoresis profiling showed that major changes on the archaeal community took place during the bioreactor start-up, where phases of continuous feeding were alternated with batch phases. After the start-up, a stable archaeal community (similarity higher than 84 %) was observed and maintained throughout the continuous operation. This community exhibited high LCFA tolerance and high acetoclastic and hydrogenotrophic activity. Cloning and sequencing results showed that Methanobacterium- and Methanosaeta-like microorganisms prevailed in the system and were able to tolerate and endure during prolonged exposure to high LCFA loads, despite the previously reported LCFA sensitivity of methanogens.This study has been financially supported by FEDER funds through the Operational Competitiveness Programme (COMPETE) and by national funds through the Portuguese Foundation for Science and Technology (FCT) in the frame of the projects FCOMP-01-0124-FEDER-007087 and FCOMP-01-0124-FEDER-014784. Financial support from FCT and the European Social Fund (ESF) through PhD grants SFRH/BD/48960/2008 and SFRH/BD/24256/2005 attributed to Andreia Salvador and Ana Julia Cavaleiro is also acknowledged
Static and dynamic characteristics of protein contact networks
The principles underlying protein folding remains one of Nature's puzzles
with important practical consequences for Life. An approach that has gathered
momentum since the late 1990's, looks at protein hetero-polymers and their
folding process through the lens of complex network analysis. Consequently,
there is now a body of empirical studies describing topological characteristics
of protein macro-molecules through their contact networks and linking these
topological characteristics to protein folding. The present paper is primarily
a review of this rich area. But it delves deeper into certain aspects by
emphasizing short-range and long-range links, and suggests unconventional
places where "power-laws" may be lurking within protein contact networks.
Further, it considers the dynamical view of protein contact networks. This
closer scrutiny of protein contact networks raises new questions for further
research, and identifies new regularities which may be useful to parameterize a
network approach to protein folding. Preliminary experiments with such a model
confirm that the regularities we identified cannot be easily reproduced through
random effects. Indeed, the grand challenge of protein folding is to elucidate
the process(es) which not only generates the specific and diverse linkage
patterns of protein contact networks, but also reproduces the dynamic behavior
of proteins as they fold. Keywords: network analysis, protein contact networks,
protein foldingComment: Added Appendix
An Electron Fixed Target Experiment to Search for a New Vector Boson A' Decaying to e+e-
We describe an experiment to search for a new vector boson A' with weak
coupling alpha' > 6 x 10^{-8} alpha to electrons (alpha=e^2/4pi) in the mass
range 65 MeV < m_A' < 550 MeV. New vector bosons with such small couplings
arise naturally from a small kinetic mixing of the "dark photon" A' with the
photon -- one of the very few ways in which new forces can couple to the
Standard Model -- and have received considerable attention as an explanation of
various dark matter related anomalies. A' bosons are produced by radiation off
an electron beam, and could appear as narrow resonances with small production
cross-section in the trident e+e- spectrum. We summarize the experimental
approach described in a proposal submitted to Jefferson Laboratory's PAC35,
PR-10-009. This experiment, the A' Experiment (APEX), uses the electron beam of
the Continuous Electron Beam Accelerator Facility at Jefferson Laboratory
(CEBAF) at energies of ~1-4 GeV incident on 0.5-10% radiation length Tungsten
wire mesh targets, and measures the resulting e+e- pairs to search for the A'
using the High Resolution Spectrometer and the septum magnet in Hall A. With a
~1 month run, APEX will achieve very good sensitivity because the statistics of
e+e- pairs will be ~10,000 times larger in the explored mass range than any
previous search for the A' boson. These statistics and the excellent mass
resolution of the spectrometers allow sensitivity to alpha'/alpha one to three
orders of magnitude below current limits, in a region of parameter space of
great theoretical and phenomenological interest. Similar experiments could also
be performed at other facilities, such as the Mainz Microtron.Comment: 19 pages, 12 figures, 2 table
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