More on integrable structures of superstrings in AdS(4) x CP(3) and AdS(2) x S(2) x T(6) superbackgrounds

In this paper we continue the study, initiated in arXiv:1009.3498 and arXiv:1104.1793, of the classical integrability of Green-Schwarz superstrings in AdS(4) x CP(3) and AdS(2) x S(2) x T(6) superbackgrounds whose spectrum contains non-supercoset worldsheet degrees of freedom corresponding to broken supersymmetries in the bulk. We derive an explicit expression, to all orders in the coset fermions and to second order in the non-coset fermions, which extends the supercoset Lax connection in these backgrounds with terms depending on the non-coset fermions. An important property of the obtained form of the Lax connection is that it is invariant under Z_4-transformations of the superisometry generators and the spectral parameter. This demonstrates that the contribution of the non-coset fermions does not spoil the Z_4-symmetry of the super-coset Lax connection which is of crucial importance for the application of Bethe-ansatz techniques. The expressions describing the AdS(4) x CP(3) and AdS(2) x S(2) x T(6) superstring sigma--models and their Lax connections have a very similar form. This is because their amount of target-space supersymmetries complement each other to 32=24+8, the maximal number of 10d type II supersymmetries. As a byproduct, this similarity has allowed us to obtain the form of the geometry of the complete type IIA AdS(2) x S(2) x T(6) superspace to all orders in the coset fermions and to the second order in the non-coset ones.Comment: 28 pages; v2: References adde

Morphology of the tropopause layer and lower stratosphere above a tropical cyclone : a case study on cyclone Davina (1999)

During the APE-THESEO mission in the Indian Ocean the Myasishchev Design Bureau stratospheric research aircraft M55 Geophysica performed a flight over and within the inner core region of tropical cyclone Davina. Measurements of total water, water vapour, temperature, aerosol backscattering, ozone and tracers were made and are discussed here in comparison with the averages of those quantities acquired during the campaign time frame. Temperature anomalies in the tropical tropopause layer (TTL), warmer than average in the lower part and colder than average in the upper TTL were observed. Ozone was strongly reduced compared to its average value, and thick cirrus decks were present up to the cold point, sometimes topped by a layer of very dry air. Evidence for meridional transport of trace gases in the stratosphere above the cyclone was observed and perturbed water distribution in the TTL was documented. The paper discuss possible processes of dehydration induced by the cirrus forming above the cyclone, and change in the chemical tracer and water distribution in the lower stratosphere 400–430 K due to meridional transport from the mid-latitudes and link with Davina. Moreover it compares the data prior and after the cyclone passage to discuss its actual impact on the atmospheric chemistry and thermodynamics

Down Syndrome: how to communicate the diagnosis

Communicating the diagnosis of Down Syndrome to a couple of parents is never easy, whether before or after birth. As doctors, we must certainly rely on our own relational skills, but it is also necessary to be confident in some general indications, which are often overlooked in the strict hospital routine. This article is intended as a summary of the main articles published on this subject in the international literature, collecting and summarising the most important indications that have emerged in years of medical practice all over the world as well as in our personal experience. The diffusion of these guidelines is essential to help the doctor in this difficult task, on which there is often little training, and above all to guarantee to the parents the least traumatic communication possible

Diagnostics of the Tropical Tropopause Layer from in-situ observations and CCM data

A suite of diagnostics is applied to in-situ aircraft measurements and one Chemistry-Climate Model (CCM) data to characterize the vertical structure of the Tropical Tropopause Layer (TTL). The diagnostics are based on vertical tracer profiles and relative vertical tracer gradients, using tropopause-referenced coordinates, and tracer-tracer relationships in the tropical Upper Troposphere/Lower Stratosphere (UT/LS).Observations were obtained during four tropical campaigns performed from 1999 to 2006 with the research aircraft Geophysica and have been compared to the output of the ECHAM5/MESSy CCM. The model vertical resolution in the TTL (similar to 500 m) allows for appropriate comparison with high-resolution aircraft observations and the diagnostics used highlight common TTL features between the model and the observational data.The analysis of the vertical profiles of water vapour, ozone, and nitrous oxide, in both the observations and the model, shows that concentration mixing ratios exhibit a strong gradient change across the tropical tropopause, due to the role of this latter as a transport barrier and that transition between the tropospheric and stratospheric regimes occurs within a finite layer. The use of relative vertical ozone and carbon monoxide gradients, in addition to the vertical profiles, helps to highlight the region where this transition occurs and allows to give an estimate of its thickness. The analysis of the CO-O-3 and H2O-O-3 scatter plots and of the Probability Distribution Function (PDF) of the H2O-O-3 pair completes this picture as it allows to better distinguish tropospheric and stratospheric regimes that can be identified by their different chemical composition.The joint analysis and comparison of observed and modelled data allows to state that the model can represent the background TTL structure and its seasonal variability rather accurately. The model estimate of the thickness of the interface region between tropospheric and stratospheric regimes agrees well with average values inferred from observations. On the other hand, the measurements can be influenced by regional scale variability, local transport processes as well as deep convection, that can not be captured by the model

Anti-inflammatory properties of menthol and menthone in schistosoma mansoni infection

Schistosomiasis is a parasitic disease caused by several species of trematode worms and it is believed that more than 261 million people are affected worldwide. New drug development has become essential because there is a risk of the parasite becoming resistant to Praziquantel, the only drug available for this infection. This study evaluated parasitological, immunological and histological parameters in mice infected with Schistosoma mansoni and treated with an herbal commercial medicine. This drug consists of menthol (30-55%) and menthone (14-32%). A 60 day treatment regimen with the herbal medicine decreased the number of S. mansoni eggs in the feces, liver, and intestine and reduced the number of hepatic granulomas. We observed a reduction of 84% in blood eosinophilia and a decrease in the IL-4 and IL-10 blood levels after treatment. Therefore, we propose that schistosomiasis treatment with this herbal medicine for 60 days has an immunomodulatory and anti-inflammatory action in this animal model for schistosomiasis thus contributing to the decrease in physio pathological effects caused by S. mansoni infection7COORDENAÇÃO DE APERFEIÇOAMENTO DE PESSOAL DE NÍVEL SUPERIOR - CAPESnão te

Kaluza-Klein gauge and minimal integrable extension of OSp(4|6)/(SO(1,3) x U(3)) sigma-model

Basing upon experience from performing double-dimensional reduction of the D=11 supermembrane on AdS_4 x S^7 background to Type IIA superstring on AdS_4 x CP^3 we introduce Kaluza-Klein (partial) kappa-symmetry gauge as a vanishing condition of the contribution to the D=11 supervielbein components tangent to D=10 space-time proportional to the differential of the coordinate parametrizing compact 11-th space-time dimension, that is identified with the supermembrane world-volume compact dimension. For AdS_4 x S^7 supermembrane Kaluza-Klein gauge removes half Grassmann coordinates associated with 8 space-time supersymmetries, broken by the AdS_4 x CP^3 superbackground, by imposing D=3 (anti-)Majorana condition on them. The consideration relies on the realization of osp(4|8) isometry superalgebra of the AdS_4 x S^7 superbackground as D=3 N=8 superconformal algebra. Requiring further vanishing of the D=10 dilaton leaves in the sector of broken supersymmetries just two Grassmann coordinates organized into D=3 (anti-)Majorana spinor that defines minimal SL(2,R)-covariant extension of the OSp(4|6)/(SO(1,3)x U(3)) sigma-model. Among 4 possibilities of such a minimal extension we consider in detail one, that corresponds to picking out D=3 Majorana coordinate related to broken Poincare supersymmetry, and show that the AdS_4 x CP^3 superstring equations of motion in this partial kappa-symmetry gauge are integrable. Also the relation between the OSp(4|6)/(SO(1,3) x U(3)) sigma-model and the AdS_4 x CP^3 superstring is revisited.Comment: LaTeX, 22 pages; v2: minor improvements in the text, typos corrected, references adde

Ecodialysis: first strategies to limit damages and reduce costs

In the medical field, the attention to the environmental impact of industrial processes and products is still limited. In recent years there has been an increased sensitivity towards the environment; meanwhile, the economic burden of hazardous waste disposal is becoming evident. Dialysis is a "big producer" of waste and it has been estimated that disposal costs can be up to 10-40% of the cost of disposables. So there are several reasons of interest on "ecodialysis": the high amount of waste defined as "potentially hazardous", which requires a very expensive management and the recyclability potential of the non-contaminated waste, that has not yet been fully explored in dialysis. This primary study has been performed in collaboration with the Politecnico di Torino. Its aim has been to define a schedule of activities by a few brainstorming sessions. This schedule is to be readily performed or it should be developed in detail to optimize, by reducing and recycling, the waste production during the dialysis session. The discussion identified seven basic points for the eco-sustainability of haemodialysis to: [1] reduce packaging; [2] facilitate separation of materials, and [3] their discharge; [4] differentiate materials; [5] clearly highlight the potentially hazardous materials; [6] improve the recyclability of plastic products; [7] propose a path of recovery and reuse. Although a full optimization requires a close cooperation with the manufacturers and is achievable only in the long term, the reduction of one pound of potentially contaminated materials could presently lead, on a national scale, to a saving of several million euros, which can be better employed in investments to improve our treatments

Diagnostics of the Tropical Tropopause Layer from in-situ observations and CCM data

A suite of diagnostics is applied to in-situ aircraft measurements and one Chemistry-Climate Model (CCM) data to characterize the vertical structure of the Tropical Tropopause Layer (TTL). The diagnostics are based on vertical tracer profiles and relative vertical tracer gradients, using tropopause-referenced coordinates, and tracer-tracer relationships in the tropical Upper Troposphere/Lower Stratosphere (UT/LS). <br><br> Observations were obtained during four tropical campaigns performed from 1999 to 2006 with the research aircraft Geophysica and have been compared to the output of the ECHAM5/MESSy CCM. The model vertical resolution in the TTL (~500 m) allows for appropriate comparison with high-resolution aircraft observations and the diagnostics used highlight common TTL features between the model and the observational data. <br><br> The analysis of the vertical profiles of water vapour, ozone, and nitrous oxide, in both the observations and the model, shows that concentration mixing ratios exhibit a strong gradient change across the tropical tropopause, due to the role of this latter as a transport barrier and that transition between the tropospheric and stratospheric regimes occurs within a finite layer. The use of relative vertical ozone and carbon monoxide gradients, in addition to the vertical profiles, helps to highlight the region where this transition occurs and allows to give an estimate of its thickness. The analysis of the CO-O<sub>3</sub> and H<sub>2</sub>O-O<sub>3</sub> scatter plots and of the Probability Distribution Function (PDF) of the H<sub>2</sub>O-O<sub>3</sub> pair completes this picture as it allows to better distinguish tropospheric and stratospheric regimes that can be identified by their different chemical composition. <br><br> The joint analysis and comparison of observed and modelled data allows to state that the model can represent the background TTL structure and its seasonal variability rather accurately. The model estimate of the thickness of the interface region between tropospheric and stratospheric regimes agrees well with average values inferred from observations. On the other hand, the measurements can be influenced by regional scale variability, local transport processes as well as deep convection, that can not be captured by the model