Methods for removal of unwanted signals from gravity time-series : comparison using linear techniques complemented with analysis of system dynamics

We thanks the participants of the 35th General Assembly of the European Seismological Commission for comments on preliminary results. The authors are grateful to all IGETS contributors, particularly to the station operators and to ISDC/GFZ-Potsdam for providing the original gravity data used in this study. We also thank the developers of ATLANTIDA3.1 and UTide. Part of this work was performed using the ICSMB High Performance Computing Cluster, University of Aberdeen. We also thanks M. Thiel and A. Moura for reviewing a preliminary version and making comments on the methods section and M.A. Ara´ujo for comments on Lyapunov exponents. Funding: A. Valencio is supported by CNPq, Brazil [206246/2014-5]; and received a travel grant from the School of Natural and Computing Sciences, University of Aberdeen [PO2073498], for a presentation including preliminary results.Peer reviewedPostprintPublisher PD

Intersecting Solitons, Amoeba and Tropical Geometry

We study generic intersection (or web) of vortices with instantons inside, which is a 1/4 BPS state in the Higgs phase of five-dimensional N=1 supersymmetric U(Nc) gauge theory on R_t \times (C^\ast)^2 \simeq R^{2,1} \times T^2 with Nf=Nc Higgs scalars in the fundamental representation. In the case of the Abelian-Higgs model (Nf=Nc=1), the intersecting vortex sheets can be beautifully understood in a mathematical framework of amoeba and tropical geometry, and we propose a dictionary relating solitons and gauge theory to amoeba and tropical geometry. A projective shape of vortex sheets is described by the amoeba. Vortex charge density is uniformly distributed among vortex sheets, and negative contribution to instanton charge density is understood as the complex Monge-Ampere measure with respect to a plurisubharmonic function on (C^\ast)^2. The Wilson loops in T^2 are related with derivatives of the Ronkin function. The general form of the Kahler potential and the asymptotic metric of the moduli space of a vortex loop are obtained as a by-product. Our discussion works generally in non-Abelian gauge theories, which suggests a non-Abelian generalization of the amoeba and tropical geometry.Comment: 39 pages, 11 figure

Effect of antibodies to intercellular adhesion molecule type 1 on the protection of distant organs during reperfusion syndrome in rats

We investigated kidney and lung alterations caused by intercellular adhesion molecule type 1 (ICAM-1) blockade after ischemia and reperfusion of hind limb skeletal muscles. Rats were submitted to ligature of the infrarenal aorta for 6 h. The animals were randomized into three groups of 6 rats each: group I, sacrificed after ischemia; group II, reperfusion for 24 h, and group III, reperfusion for 24 h after receiving monoclonal anti-ICAM-1 antibodies. At the end of the experiment, blood samples were collected for creatinine, lactate dehydrogenase, creatine phosphokinase, potassium, pH and leukocyte counts. Samples were taken from the muscles of the hind limbs and from the kidneys and lungs for histological analysis and measurement of the neutrophil infiltrate by myeloperoxidase staining. The groups did not differ significantly with regard to the laboratory tests. There were no major histological alterations in the kidneys. An intense neutrophil infiltrate in the lungs, similar in all groups, was detected. Myeloperoxidase determination showed that after reperfusion there was significantly less retention of polymorphonuclear neutrophils in the muscles (352 ± 70 vs 1451 ± 235 × 10² neutrophils/mg; P<0.01) and in the kidneys (526 ± 89 vs 852 ± 73 × 10² neutrophils/mg; P<0.01) of the animals that received anti-ICAM-1 before perfusion compared to the group that did not. The use of anti-ICAM-1 antibodies in this experimental model minimized neutrophil influx, thus reducing the inflammatory process, in the muscles and kidneys after ischemia and reperfusion of the hind limbs.Universidade Federal de São Paulo (UNIFESP) Escola Paulista de Medicina Departamento de CirurgiaUniversidade Federal de São Paulo (UNIFESP) Escola Paulista de Medicina Departamento de ClínicaUniversidade Federal de São Paulo (UNIFESP) Escola Paulista de Medicina Departamento de PatologiaUNIFESP, EPM, Depto. de CirurgiaUNIFESP, EPM, Depto. de ClínicaUNIFESP, EPM, Depto. de PatologiaSciEL

On the Change of the Inner Boundary of an Optically Thick Accretion Disk around White Dwarfs Using the Dwarf Nova SS Cyg as an Example

We present the results of our studies of the aperiodic optical flux variability for SS Cyg, an accreting binary systemwith a white dwarf. The main set of observational data presented here was obtained with the ANDOR/iXon DU-888 photometer mounted on the RTT-150 telescope, which allowed a record(for CCD photometers) time resolution up to 8 ms to be achieved. The power spectra of the source's flux variability have revealed that the aperiodic variability contains information about the inner boundary of the optically thick flow in the binary system. We show that the inner boundary of the optically thick accretion disk comes close to the white dwarf surface at the maximum of the source's bolometric light curve, i.e., at the peak of the instantaneous accretion rate onto the white dwarf, while the optically thick accretion disk is truncated at distances 8.5e9 cm ~10 R_{WD} in the low state. We suggest that the location of the inner boundary of the accretion disk in the binary can be traced by studying the parameters of the power spectra for accreting white dwarfs. In particular, this allows the mass of the accreting object to be estimated.Comment: 9 pages, 7 figures, Published in Astronomy Letter

Effects of copper mineralogy and methanobactin on cell growth and sMMO activity in <i>Methylosinus trichosporium</i> OB3b

Controls on in situ methanotroph activity are not well understood. One potentially important parameter is copper (Cu) because it is the metal-centre of particulate methane monooxygenase (pMMO), the most active enzyme for oxidizing methane to methanol. Further, Cu-to-cell ratios influence the relative expression of pMMO versus the alternate soluble MMO (sMMO) in some species. However, most methanotroph studies only have assessed readily soluble forms of Cu (e.g. CuCl₂) and there is a dearth of Cu-related activity data for Cu sources more common in the environment. Here we quantified sMMO activity (as a practical indicator of Cu availability) and growth kinetics in <i>Methylosinus trichosporium</i> OB3b, an organism that expresses both pMMO and sMMO, when grown on Cu-minerals with differing dissolution equilibria to assess how mineral type and methanobactin (mb) might influence in situ methanotroph activity. Mb is a molecule produced by <i>M. trichosporium</i> OB3b that has a high affinity for Cu, reduces Cu toxicity, and may influence Cu availability in terrestrial systems. CuCO₃.Cu(OH)₂ and CuO were chosen for study based on modelling data, reflecting more and less soluble minerals, respectively, and were found to affect <i>M. trichosporium</i> OB3b activity differently. Cells grew without growth lag and with active pMMO on CuCO₃.Cu(OH)₂, regardless of the amount of mineral supplied (<500 μmoles Cu-total l^&minus;1). The organism also grew well on CuO; however, significant sMMO activity was retained up to 50 μmoles Cu-total l^&minus;1, although sMMO activity was suppressed by supplemental mb and-or direct cell-mineral contact. Mb addition increased growth rates (<i>p</i> < 0.05) with both minerals. Results show mb broadly stimulates growth, but Cu mineralogy and mb dictate whether sMMO or pMMO is active in the cells. This explains why sMMO activity has been seen in soils with high Cu and also has implications for predicting dominant MMO activity in terrestrial bioremediation applications

Vortices on Orbifolds

The Abelian and non-Abelian vortices on orbifolds are investigated based on the moduli matrix approach, which is a powerful method to deal with the BPS equation. The moduli space and the vortex collision are discussed through the moduli matrix as well as the regular space. It is also shown that a quiver structure is found in the Kahler quotient, and a half of ADHM is obtained for the vortex theory on the orbifolds as the case before orbifolding.Comment: 25 pages, 4 figures; references adde

Preserved monocyte-derived dendritic cell differentiation and maturation in the presence of HIV-2 envelope

© 2012 Mary Ann Liebert, Inc. publishers. All rights reserved, USA and worldwide.Dendritic cells (DCs) are fundamental for the initiation of immune responses and are important players in AIDS immunopathogenesis. Impairment of DC function may result from bystander effects of HIV-1 envelope proteins independently of direct HIV-1 infection. HIV-2 envelope proteins are thought to interact with a broader range of receptors than those of HIV-1, and have been shown to have T cell immunosuppressive properties mediated by monocytes. The effects of HIV-2 envelope on DC differentiation and maturation were investigated. The modulatory properties of the HIV-2 envelope on DC generated from monocytes were assessed using both recombinant proteins (HIV-2(ROD) and HIV-2(ALI)) and whole chemically inactivated virus (aldrithiol-2-treated HIV-2(ROD)). DC phenotype was assessed by flow cytometry and DC function by their ability to stimulate allogeneic T cells and to produce cytokines. We demonstrate that HIV-2 Env had no effects upon DC differentiation and maturation despite its broad receptor usage and ability to modulate monocyte function. It is plausible to speculate that a reduced ability of the HIV-2 Env to impair myeloid DC function could represent a contributory factor to the relatively benign course of HIV-2 disease.This work was supported by grants from “Fundação para a Ciência e a Tecnologia” (FCT) and by “Programa Operacional Ciência e Inovação 2010” (POCI2010) to AES. RC and RBF received scholarships from FCT co-financed by POCI 2010 and FSE, and AB from GlaxoSmithKline

Balanço de carbono e nitrogênio em sistema de integração lavoura pecuária no cerrado (Goiânia, GO).

Made available in DSpace on 2011-04-09T14:11:37Z (GMT). No. of bitstreams: 1 Balancodecarbonoenitrogenioemsistemadeintegracao.pdf: 12732 bytes, checksum: 6eb111858eb32e62a1507154aea041e0 (MD5) Previous issue date: 2011-02-01201