Asymmetric capture of Dirac dark matter by the Sun

Current problems with the solar model may be alleviated if a significant amount of dark matter from the galactic halo is captured in the Sun. We discuss the capture process in the case where the dark matter is a Dirac fermion and the background halo consists of equal amounts of dark matter and anti-dark matter. By considering the case where dark matter and anti-dark matter have different cross sections on solar nuclei as well as the case where the capture process is considered to be a Poisson process, we find that a significant asymmetry between the captured dark particles and anti-particles is possible even for an annihilation cross section in the range expected for thermal relic dark matter. Since the captured number of particles are competitive with asymmetric dark matter models in a large range of parameter space, one may expect solar physics to be altered by the capture of Dirac dark matter. It is thus possible that solutions to the solar composition problem may be searched for in these type of models.Comment: 22 pages, 5 figures, Version accepted for publication in JCAP. A discussion regarding the distribution of captured DM added. Figure 4 added under results. Minor corrections and references adde

Pinning down inelastic dark matter in the Sun and in direct detection

We study the solar capture rate of inelastic dark matter with endothermic and/or exothermic interactions. By assuming that an inelastic dark matter signal will be observed in next generation direct detection experiments we can set a lower bound on the capture rate that is independent of the local dark matter density, the velocity distribution, the galactic escape velocity as well as the scattering cross section. In combination with upper limits from neutrino observatories we can place upper bounds on the annihilation channels leading to neutrinos. We find that, while endothermic scattering limits are weak in the isospin-conserving case, strong bounds may be set for exothermic interactions, in particular in the spin-dependent case. Furthermore, we study the implications of observing two direct detection signals, in which case one can halo-independently obtain the dark matter mass and the mass splitting, and disentangle the endothermic/exothermic nature of the scattering. Finally we discuss isospin violation.Comment: 25 pages, 7 figures. v3: matches version published in JCA

L'INSTITUTIONNALISATION DE LA RESPONSABILITE SOCIALE DANS LE CONTRÔLE DE GESTION ET LA COMPTABILITE

De nombreux écrits sont consacrés actuellement à la responsabilité sociale des entreprises. En revanche, les travaux qui analysent le comportement de ces dernières face à ce phénomène, notamment dans le domaine de la comptabilité et du contrôle de gestion, sont plus rares. Cette contribution cherche alors à étudier, au travers d'une analyse de la littérature dans ce domaine, les différentes attitudes que les organisations peuvent adopter ainsi que les déterminants de telles attitudes

L'EVOLUTION DES SYSTEMES D'INFORMATION DE GESTION FACE AUX ENJEUX DE LA RESPONSABILITE SOCIALE : LE CAS DE LA COMPTABILITE ET DU CONTRÔLE DE GESTION

De nombreux écrits sont consacrés actuellement à la responsabilité sociale des entreprises. En revanche, les travaux qui analysent la manière dont évoluent les systèmes d'information comptable et de contrôle de gestion face à ce phénomène sont plus rares. Cette contribution cherche alors à étudier les différentes attitudes que les organisations peuvent adopter ainsi que les déterminants de telles attitudes. Une grille de lecture néo-institutionnaliste d'inspiration sociologique est mobilisée pour réaliser cette analyse

LE COMPORTEMENT SOCIALEMENT RESPONSABLE DES ENTREPRISES : UNE LECTURE DES TRAVAUX EN COMPTABILITE ET CONTRÔLE DE GESTION DANS UNE PERSPECTIVE NEO-INSTITUTIONNALISTE

De nombreux écrits sont consacrés actuellement à la responsabilité sociale des entreprises. En revanche, les travaux qui analysent le comportement de ces dernières face à ce phénomène, notamment dans le domaine de la comptabilité et du contrôle de gestion, sont plus rares. Cette contribution cherche alors à étudier, au travers d'une analyse de la littérature dans ce domaine, les différentes attitudes que les organisations peuvent adopter ainsi que les déterminants de telles attitudes. Une grille de lecture néo-institutionnaliste d'inspiration sociologique est mobilisée pour réaliser cette analyse

LE COMPORTEMENT SOCIALEMENT RESPONSABLE DES ENTREPRISES : UNE LECTURE DES TRAVAUX EN COMPTABILITE ET CONTRÔLE DE GESTION DANS UNE PERSPECTIVE NEO-INSTITUTIONNALISTE

De nombreux écrits sont consacrés actuellement à la responsabilité sociale des entreprises. En revanche, les travaux qui analysent le comportement de ces dernières face à ce phénomène, notamment dans le domaine de la comptabilité et du contrôle de gestion, sont plus rares. Cette contribution cherche alors à étudier, au travers d'une analyse de la littérature dans ce domaine, les différentes attitudes que les organisations peuvent adopter ainsi que les déterminants de telles attitudes. Une grille de lecture néo-institutionnaliste d'inspiration sociologique est mobilisée pour réaliser cette analyse.RSE; comptabilité; contrôle de gestion; néo-institutionnalisme

Sustainable fermentation processing of two revalorized agro-industrial discards: carrot and brewer's yeast

An integrated and sustainable fermentation process was developed which enabled both the revalorization of two regional agro-industrial discards as well as by-product reuse. Carrot and brewer's yeast, which are commonly used for animal feed, were processed to obtain 77.5 L of ethanol, 450 kg of solid waste called bagasse, 970 L of liquid effluent called vinasse, and 39.8 kg CO2 per each ton of discarded carrot. Results showed that the obtained bagasse was suitable for feeding 55 animals (calfs). The dilution of vinasse with fresh water (1:5) satisfied the requirements necessary to be used as beverage for the same number of animals, leaving a remnant which could be newly diluted (1:5) and used to irrigate a 0.025-ha carrot crop, the land dimension required to grow 1 ton of carrot.Fil: Aimaretti, Nora Rosa. Universidad Nacional del Litoral. Facultad de Ingeniería Química; Argentina. Universidad del Centro Educativo Latinoamericano. Facultad de Química; ArgentinaFil: Clementz, Adriana Laura. Universidad Nacional del Litoral. Facultad de Ingeniería Química; Argentina. Universidad del Centro Educativo Latinoamericano. Facultad de Química; Argentina. Consejo Nacional de Investigaciones Científicas y Técnicas; ArgentinaFil: Codevilla, Agustin. Universidad del Centro Educativo Latinoamericano. Facultad de Química; Argentina. Consejo Nacional de Investigaciones Científicas y Técnicas; ArgentinaFil: Rojas, Maria L.. Universidad Nacional de Educacion a Distancia; EspañaFil: Yori, Juan Carlos. Universidad Nacional del Litoral. Facultad de Ingeniería Química; Argentina. Consejo Nacional de Investigaciones Científicas y Técnicas; Argentin

Top-down control of visual sensory processing during an ocular motor response inhibition task

The study addressed whether top-down control of visual cortex supports volitional behavioral control in a novel antisaccade task. The hypothesis was that anticipatory modulations of visual cortex activity would differentiate trials on which subjects knew an anti- versus a pro-saccade response was required. Trials consisted of flickering checkerboards in both peripheral visual fields, followed by brightening of one checkerboard (target) while both kept flickering. Neural activation related to checkerboards before target onset (bias signal) was assessed using electroencephalography. Pretarget visual cortex responses to checkerboards were strongly modulated by task demands (significantly lower on antisaccade trials), an effect that may reduce the predisposition to saccade generation instigated by visual capture. The results illustrate how top-down sensory regulation can complement motor preparation to facilitate adaptive voluntary behavioral control

NOTCH-1 and NOTCH-4 are novel gene targets of PEA3 in breast cancer: novel therapeutic implications

INTRODUCTION: Women with triple-negative breast cancer have the worst prognosis, frequently present with metastatic tumors and have few targeted therapy options. Notch-1 and Notch-4 are potent breast oncogenes that are overexpressed in triple-negative and other subtypes of breast cancer. PEA3, an ETS transcription factor, is also overexpressed in triple-negative and other breast cancer subtypes. We investigated whether PEA3 could be the critical transcriptional activator of Notch receptors in MDA-MB-231 and other breast cancer cells. METHODS: Real-time PCR and Western blot analysis were performed to detect Notch-1, Notch-2, Notch-3 and Notch-4 receptor expression in breast cancer cells when PEA3 was knocked down by siRNA. Chromatin immunoprecipitation was performed to identify promoter regions for Notch genes that recruited PEA3. TAM-67 and c-Jun siRNA were used to identify that c-Jun was necessary for PEA3 enrichment on the Notch-4 promoter. A Notch-4 luciferase reporter was used to confirm that endogenous PEA3 or AP-1 activated the Notch-4 promoter region. Cell cycle analysis, trypan blue exclusion, annexin V flow cytometry, colony formation assay and an in vivo xenograft study were performed to determine the biological significance of targeting PEA3 via siRNA, Notch signaling via a γ-secretase inhibitor, or both. RESULTS: Herein we provide new evidence for transcriptional regulation of Notch by PEA3 in breast cancer. PEA3 activates Notch-1 transcription in MCF-7, MDA-MB-231 and SKBr3 breast cancer cells. PEA3 activates Notch-4 transcription in MDA-MB-231 cells where PEA3 levels are endogenously high. In SKBr3 and BT474 breast cancer cells where PEA3 levels are low, overexpression of PEA3 increases Notch-4 transcripts. Chromatin immunoprecipitation confirmed the enrichment of PEA3 on Notch-1 and Notch-4 promoters in MDA-MB-231 cells. PEA3 recruitment to Notch-1 was AP-1-independent, whereas PEA3 recruitment to Notch-4 was c-JUN-dependent. Importantly, the combined inhibition of Notch signaling via a γ-secretase inhibitor (MRK-003 GSI) and knockdown of PEA3 arrested growth in the G(1 )phase, decreased both anchorage-dependent and anchorage-independent growth and significantly increased apoptotic cells in vitro. Moreover, either PEA3 knockdown or MRK-003 GSI treatment significantly reduced tumor growth of MDA-MB-231 xenografts in vivo. CONCLUSIONS: Taken together, the results from this study demonstrate for the first time that Notch-1 and Notch-4 are novel transcriptional targets of PEA3 in breast cancer cells. Targeting of PEA3 and/or Notch pathways might provide a new therapeutic strategy for triple-negative and possibly other breast cancer subtypes

Gamma and beta frequency oscillations in response to novel auditory stimuli: A comparison of human electroencephalogram (EEG) data with in vitro models

Investigations using hippocampal slices maintained in vitro have demonstrated that bursts of oscillatory field potentials in the gamma frequency range (30-80 Hz) are followed by a slower oscillation in the beta 1 range (12-20 Hz). In this study, we demonstrate that a comparable gamma-to-beta transition is seen in the human electroencephalogram (EEG) in response to novel auditory stimuli. Correlations between gamma and beta 1 activity revealed a high degree of interdependence of synchronized oscillations in these bands in the human EEG. Evoked (stimulus-locked) gamma oscillations preceded beta 1 oscillations in response to novel stimuli, suggesting that this may be analogous to the gamma-to-beta shift observed in vitro. Beta 1 oscillations were the earliest discriminatory responses to show enhancement to novel stimuli, preceding changes in the broad-band event-related potential (mismatch negativity). Later peaks of induced beta activity over the parietal cortex were always accompanied by an underlying gamma frequency oscillation as seen in vitro. A further analogy between in vitro and human recordings was that both gamma and beta oscillations habituated markedly after the initial novel stimulus presentation