AEGIS at CERN: Measuring Antihydrogen Fall

The main goal of the AEGIS experiment at the CERN Antiproton Decelerator is the test of fundamental laws such as the Weak Equivalence Principle (WEP) and CPT symmetry. In the first phase of AEGIS, a beam of antihydrogen will be formed whose fall in the gravitational field is measured in a Moire' deflectometer; this will constitute the first test of the WEP with antimatter.Comment: Presented at the Fifth Meeting on CPT and Lorentz Symmetry, Bloomington, Indiana, June 28-July 2, 201

Ultrasound findings of the optic nerve and its arterial venous system in multiple sclerosis patients with and without optic neuritis vs. healthy controls.

Background: Optic Neuritis (ONe) is common in Multiple Sclerosis (MS). The aim of this study was to evaluate the Optic Nerve (ONr) and its vascularisation in MS patients with and without previous ONe and in Healthy Controls (HC). Methods: We performed high-resolution echo-color ultrasound examination in 50 subjects (29 MS patients and 21 HC). By a suprabulbar approach we measured the ONr diameter at 3mm from the retinal plane and at another unfixed point. We assessed the flow velocities of Ophthalmic Artery (OA), Central Retinal Artery (CRA) and Central Retinal Vein (CRV) measuring the Peak Systolic Velocity (PSV) and the End Diastolic Velocity (EDV) for the arteries and the Maximal Velocity (MaxV), Minimal Velocity (MinV) and mean Velocity (mV) for the veins. The Pulsatility Index (PI) and the Resistive Index (RI) were also calculated. Results: No significant variation for OA supply was found as well as no significant variation for CRA supply, while significant higher PI in the CRV of non-ONe MS eyes vs. both HC and ONe MS eyes was measured. We found that ONr diameter was decreased significantly from HC to non-ONe MS eyes and ONe MS eyes. Conclusions: Ultrasound examination of ONr and its vascularisation is feasible and can demonstrate ON atrophy. The increase of CRV PI in unaffected eyes of MS patients is intriguing and seems not associated to ONr atrophy. Larger studies are needed to confirm these results

Intravascular papillary endothelial hyperplasia at the origin of internal carotid artery: A rare cause of stroke.

Intravascular papillary endothelial hyperplasia (IPEH), also known as Masson\u2019s tumor, is a rare, generally considered a non neoplastic vascular lesion, caused by an abnormal endovascular proliferation of endothelial cells. We describe, as far as we know, the first case of this lesion, localized at the origin of the internal carotid artery, which was responsible for an ischemic stroke. Although this entity is very rare, it is important for the clinician to become familiar with this lesion, since the complete removal of the lesion is the only treatment of choice. A partial removal may lead to further clinical events

Dietas naturais na criação de Chrysomya albiceps (Wiedemann, 1819; Diptera: Calliphoridae): estudo comparado Natural diets to rear Chrysomya albiceps (Wiedemann, 1819; Diptera: Calliphoridae): a comparative study

Procurou-se observar o desenvolvimento pós-embrionário de Chrysomya albiceps, testando-se, comparativamente, dietas à base de sardinha e carne eqüina. Os substratos frescos foram previamente mantidos a 30&deg;C de temperatura durante duas horas. Foram inoculadas 50 neolarvas em 100g de dieta por repetição. Utilizaram-se quatro repetições por tratamento. O experimento foi conduzido em condições de laboratório. O peso médio das larvas após o abandono espontâneo das dietas foi de 91,19mg, no substrato à base de carne eqüina e 76,01mg, no substrato à base de sardinha, a diferença foi, portanto, significativa. A taxa de sobrevivência larval registrada foi superior a 80%, enquanto a taxa de sobrevivência pupal foi próxima a 100%. A razão sexual foi próxima a 0,5. A dieta à base de carne eqüina mostrou-se mais adequada ao desenvolvimento de C. albiceps, pois as larvas mantidas neste substrato apresentaram-se mais pesadas, o que potencializa a capacidade reprodutiva do adulto.<br>The objective of the present study was to observe the postembryonic development of Chrysomya albiceps reared on sardines or horse meat and to compare the results. Fresh substratos were maintened m an oven ai 30&deg;C for 2 hours. Fifty newly emerged larvas were inoculated into 100g diel per reptication. Four replications per treatment were used. The experiment was conducted under laboratory conditions. The mean weight of postfeeding larvas was 91.19mg for especimens reared on horse meat and 76.01mg for especimens reared on sardines, with a marked difference between diets. Larval viability was more than 80% for the two diets, while pupal viability was dose to 100%. The sex ratio was about 0.5. The horse meat diet proved to be more adequate for the development of C. albiceps since the larvas weighed more, with consequent potentiations of adult reproductive abilily

Effect of differents baits as attractant for blowflies (diptera) at Valonguinho, Universidade Federal Fluminense, Niterói, RJ, Brazil Efeito de diferentes iscas na atração de califorídeos (diptera) no campus do Valonguinho, Universidade Federal Fluminense, Niterói, RJ, Brasil

It was carried out a survey of blowflies in a área of the Campus (Valonguinho) of the Universidade Federal Fluminense, Niterói, Rio de Janeiro. The collections were performed with traps, using baits of fish (sardine), bovine liver, shrimps and banana. Were collected 6015 flies, Chrysomya megacephala and Lucilia eximia were the most frequent (50.55% and 21.52%, respectively). The flies were more abundant in February and March and the most attractive bait was fish (38.32%).<br>Foi realizado um estudo sobre califorideos no Campus do Valonguinho, Universidade Federal Fluminense. A pesquisa foi efetuada de dezembro de 2003 a novembro de 2004, com coletas feitas com armadilhas utilizando iscas à base de peixe (sardinha), fígado bovino, camarão e banana. Foram coletados 6015 califorideos, Chrysomya megacephala e Lucilia eximia foram as mais freqüentes (50,55% e 21, 52%, respectivamente). A isca mais atrativa foi peixe (38,32%) com picos populacionais em fevereiro e março

Efficient Rydberg positronium laser excitation for antihydrogen production in a magnetic filed

Antihydrogen production by charge exchange reaction between positronium (Ps) and antiprotons requires an efficient excitation of Ps atoms up to high-n levels (Rydberg levels). We propose a two-step laser light excitation, the first from ground to n=3 and the second from this level to a Rydberg level n>15. In this study it is assumed that a Ps cloud is produced by positrons hitting a target converter located in a Penning-Malmberg trap within a uniform ~ 1 T magnetic field. We model the optical transition structure by taking into account Doppler and motional Stark effects. The predicted efficiency for population deposition in high n states is of ~30%