Lorentz Violating Julia-Toulouse Mechanism

We propose a new Lorentz invariant violating extension for the pure photonic sector of the Standard Model due to the condensation of topological defects in the context of the Julia-Toulouse mechanism. Possible physical consequences leading to direct measurable effects over the confining properties of the elementary particles are explored.Comment: 4 page

Technical Paper Session I-B - The Prospect of producing Breathing Oxygen, Pure Hydrogen and propellants from the Martian Atmosphere

The cost of manned Mars missions could be significantly reduced if O2, water, and propellant were to be extracted from the CO2-rich Martian atmosphere. The objectives of this paper are to explore techniques of producing pure O2 from the Martian atmosphere, and examine chemically stable reactors for H2 production. A method for obtaining O2 on Mars is a high temperature solid oxide electrolysis of yttriastabilized zirconia (YSZ) where CO2 is electrochemically reduced to CO and pure O2 is evolved from the opposite electrode compartment. An electrochemical cell will be demonstrated for CO2 electrolysis with concomitant production of pure O2 under partial pressures commensurate with the Martian atmosphere. Also, this paper investigates the impact of the In-Situ Resource Utilization for Mars mission by providing ultra pure H2 and a chemically stable reactor in CO2- rich mixtures needed to achieve long range mobility on Mars. The fabricated rector is permeable to H2 with infinite selectivity, chemically stable in CO2, and does not require external electrical circuit. In addition, a system-level modeling will be presented to estimate cost, size, energy, power, weight, and volume equipment of a full-scale Mars mission

Probing Stellar Dynamics in Galactic Nuclei

Electromagnetic observations over the last 15 years have yielded a growing appreciation for the importance of supermassive black holes (SMBH) to the evolution of galaxies, and for the intricacies of dynamical interactions in our own Galactic center. Here we show that future low-frequency gravitational wave observations, alone or in combination with electromagnetic data, will open up unique windows to these processes. In particular, gravitational wave detections in the 10^{-5}-10^{-1} Hz range will yield SMBH masses and spins to unprecedented precision and will provide clues to the properties of the otherwise undetectable stellar remnants expected to populate the centers of galaxies. Such observations are therefore keys to understanding the interplay between SMBHs and their environments.Comment: 8 pages, Science white paper for the Astro2010 Decadal Surve

Population structure and physiological plasticity of Favia gravida with differences in terrestrial influence

Terrestrial runoff is a source of sediments and nutrients to coral reefs. Due to runoff, Brazilian reefs are typically turbid, and have coral species that are naturally turbidity-resistant. This study investigated how terrestrial input influences population and physiology for the coral Favia gravida on two reefs with differences in river mouth proximity in eastern Brazil. The population structure and physiological traits of F. gravida colonies were assessed on both reefs, then some colonies selected for a subsequent transplantation experiment. The reef less impacted by terrestrial influence showed higher population density and lower recruitment. At this site, the coral colonies displayed higher calcification and larger larvae. The reproductive effort between coral populations at the two sites showed no significant difference. The transplantation experiment confirmed the high physiological plasticity of F. gravida colonies at the more turbid reef site. Despite being regarded as a more challenging environment, where F. gravida has a lower population density, the reef closer to the river mouth appears to secure more nutrients, which may heterotrophically compensate its coral colonies

Os Fungos na Tuberculose Pulmonar

The authors believe that pathologists do not pay enough attention to the fungi ohserved in lhe respiratory tract in a great number of morbid conditions and especially in cases of pulmonary tuherculosis. The action of these fungi should not be overlooked since they are able to produce grave diseases and even death. The opinion of several authors are cited in confirmation of this fact. Examination of the sputum - - Twenty-six samples of sputum of tuberculous individuais were examined; fungi were observed in 15 cases, hy the examination of a smear slide. Cultures - All samples of sputum were cultured for the isolation of fungi. Acid broth (2,0) was used, 2 hours at 37°C. followed by inoculation in Sabouraud's agar medium. Only 9 cases were negative. These organisms were then studied in reference to their determinative classification. The fungi were cultured on sugar media and no two similar organisms were observed. The classification proposed by Castellani, based on the fermentation of carbohydrates, seems insufficient excep in reference to a few fungi with fixed properties. Reports are given of experiments undertaken with guineapigs, inoculated in the lungs or peritoneum with triturated cultures of fungi. The lesions produced were studied macroscopic and microscopically. The amount of calcium present in the blood was studied on rabbits inoculated with fungi. The complement reaction was tried in the endeavor to differentiate a Monilia from an Ascomycete. lt was observed that sodium iodide exerted an inhibiting action in reference to the ill effects of pathogenic fungi. The clinicai syrnptoms of the mycoses were recorded.Nul

The angiotensin II AT(1), receptor structure-activity correlations in the light of rhodopsin structure

The most prevalent physiological effects of ANG II, the main product of the renin-angiotensin system, are mediated by the AT(1) receptor, a rhodopsin-like AGPCR. Numerous studies of the cardiovascular effects of synthetic peptide analogs allowed a detailed mapping of ANG II's structural requirements for receptor binding and activation, which were complemented by site-directed mutagenesis studies on the AT(1) receptor to investigate the role of its structure in ligand binding, signal transduction, phosphorylation, binding to arrestins, internalization, desensitization, tachyphylaxis, and other properties. the knowledge of the high-resolution structure of rhodopsin allowed homology modeling of the AT(1) receptor. the models thus built and mutagenesis data indicate that physiological (agonist binding) or constitutive (mutated receptor) activation may involve different degrees of expansion of the receptor's central cavity. Residues in ANG II structure seem to control these conformational changes and to dictate the type of cytosolic event elicited during the activation. 1) Agonist aromatic residues (Phe(8) and Tyr(4)) favor the coupling to G protein, and 2) absence of these residues can favor a mechanism leading directly to receptor internalization via phosphorylation by specific kinases of the receptor's COOH-terminal Ser and Thr residues, arrestin binding, and clathrin-dependent coated-pit vesicles. On the other hand, the NH2-terminal residues of the agonists ANG II and [Sar(1)]-ANG II were found to bind by two distinct modes to the AT(1) receptor extracellular site flanked by the COOH-terminal segments of the EC-3 loop and the NH2-terminal domain. Since the [Sar(1)]-ligand is the most potent molecule to trigger tachyphylaxis in AT(1) receptors, it was suggested that its corresponding binding mode might be associated with this special condition of receptors.Universidade Federal de São Paulo, Escola Paulista Med, Dept Biophys, BR-04023062 São Paulo, BrazilUniv São Paulo, Ribeirao Preto Med Sch, Dept Biochem & Immunol, BR-14049 Ribeirao Preto, BrazilUniv São Paulo, Inst Chem, Dept Biochem, São Paulo, BrazilUniversidade Federal de São Paulo, Escola Paulista Med, Dept Biophys, BR-04023062 São Paulo, BrazilWeb of Scienc

A Phase III, randomized study to evaluate the immunogenicity and safety of an MF59®-adjuvanted A/H1N1 pandemic influenza vaccine in HIV-positive adults

AbstractBackground and aimsAntibody responses to vaccines are suboptimal in immunosuppressed HIV-positive individuals. This study aimed to evaluate the potential benefits of MF59® adjuvant or a second A/H1N1 influenza vaccine dose in HIV-positive adults.MethodHIV-positive adults (n=61) and HIV-negative controls (n=93) aged 18–60years received two doses of A/H1N1, either as MF59-adjuvanted A/H1N1 pandemic vaccine, or as part of a unadjuvanted seasonal influenza vaccine containing the pandemic strain. Immunogenicity was assessed against the vaccine strain, A/California/7/2009, by haemagglutination inhibition (HI) assay three weeks after the administration of each vaccine dose. Local and systemic reactions were recorded for three days after each vaccination. Unsolicited adverse events were recorded throughout the six-week study period.ResultsBoth adjuvanted and unadjuvanted vaccines met the European licensure criteria in HIV-positive and HIV-negative study groups after a single dose. Lower antibody titres were observed with both adjuvanted and unadjuvanted vaccine in HIV-positive compared to HIV-negative subjects. A second dose of either vaccine did not compensate for the lower response of HIV-infected subjects. In HIV-positive subjects, CD4+ T cell counts and levels of CD38 expression on CD8+ T cells remained stable throughout the study period. Both vaccine formulations were generally well tolerated, with no increased reactogenicity observed in response to the adjuvanted vaccine.ConclusionAntibody responses in HIV-positive subjects were acceptable but lower than those in healthy control subjects, whether subjects were immunized with one or two doses of adjuvanted or unadjuvanted vaccine. Vaccination did not affect rates of HIV replication, CD4+ T cells counts, or levels of CD38 expression among patients under successful antiretroviral treatment