From the Hitchin section to opers through nonabelian Hodge

For a complex simple simply connected Lie group $G$, and a compact Riemann surface $C$, we consider two sorts of families of flat $G$-connections over $C$. Each family is determined by a point ${\mathbf u}$ of the base of Hitchin's integrable system for $(G,C)$. One family $\nabla_{\hbar,{\mathbf u}}$ consists of $G$-opers, and depends on $\hbar \in {\mathbb C}^\times$. The other family $\nabla_{R,\zeta,{\mathbf u}}$ is built from solutions of Hitchin's equations, and depends on $\zeta \in {\mathbb C}^\times, R \in {\mathbb R}^+$. We show that in the scaling limit $R \to 0$, $\zeta = \hbar R$, we have $\nabla_{R,\zeta,{\mathbf u}} \to \nabla_{\hbar,{\mathbf u}}$. This establishes and generalizes a conjecture formulated by Gaiotto

Showing Their True Colors? How EU Flag Display Affects Perceptions of Party Elites’ European Attachment

Evidence suggests that incidental national flag exposure activates nationalistic feelings and that incidental exposure to the EU flag can affect citizen attachments to Europe. However, we know little about what inferences citizens make based on the EU flag when they see it displayed by parties in an electoral context. To test the expectation that this display affects citizens’ evaluations of party elites’ EU attachment, we conducted a large-scale experiment embedded in a Swedish survey in which respondents were exposed to communications from one of the two main Swedish parties, containing or not containing the image of the flag. We find that simple visual display does little to move perceptions. However, if citizens perceive that a particular party displayed the flag, then they are more likely to evaluate its party elites as more attached to Europe

Peso al nacer de niños brasileños menores de dos años

Low birth weight is associated with increased risk of dying in the first year of life. This study was motivated by recent changes in the determination of birth weight patterns with the advent of the perinatal epidemiological transition. We analyzed data from the Brazilian National Survey of Demographic and Health of Children and Women including only children < 24 months. Prevalence of low birth weight in Brazil was 6.1%. Risk factors included female gender, residence in the South and Southeast geographic regions, low maternal education, and maternal smoking. The low birth weight profile changed, with higher prevalence in more economically developed regions, reflecting the neonatal epidemiological transition determined by changes in patterns of childbirth care and incorporation of perinatal life support technologies, in addition to the previously known biological risks associated with poverty and misinformation.El bajo peso al nacer tiene una gran relación con el riesgo de morir en el primer año de vida. Estudios muestran su asociación con problemas de desarrollo en la infancia y enfermedades en la vida adulta. Dada la importancia de este indicador, el objetivo de este estudio fue investigar los factores sociales, demográficos, biológicos y ambientales involucrados en su determinación. Se analizaron los datos de la Investigación Nacional de Demografía y Salud del Niño y de la Mujer (PNDS-2006), incluyendo solamente niños menores de 24 meses de vida. La prevalencia de bajo peso al nacer en Brasil fue de un 6,1%. Los factores de riesgo identificados fueron sexo femenino, residir en las macrorregiones Sur y Sudeste y ser hijo de madres con baja escolaridad o tabaquistas. Hubo cambios en el perfil de bajo peso al nacer, con mayor prevalencia en regiones más desarrolladas económicamente, reflejando la transición epidemiológica perinatal, caracterizada por cambios en los padrones de asistencia al parto e incorporación de los avances tecnológicos en la asistencia perinatal, además de factores de riesgo biológicos conocidos, asociados a la pobreza y a la desinformación.O baixo peso ao nascer tem grande relação com risco de morrer no primeiro ano de vida. Estudos mostram sua associação com problemas de desenvolvimento na infância e doenças na vida adulta. Dada a importância desse indicador, o objetivo deste estudo foi investigar os fatores sociais, demográficos, biológicos e ambientais envolvidos na sua determinação. Analisaram-se dados da Pesquisa Nacional de Demografia e Saúde da Criança e da Mulher (PNDS-2006), incluindo apenas crianças menores de 24 meses de vida. A prevalência de baixo peso ao nascer no Brasil foi de 6,1%. Os fatores de risco identificados foram sexo feminino, residir nas macrorregiões Sul e Sudeste e ser filho de mães com baixa escolaridade ou tabagistas. Houve mudanças no perfil do baixo peso ao nascer, com maior prevalência em regiões mais desenvolvidas economicamente, refletindo a transição epidemiológica perinatal, caracterizada por mudanças nos padrões de assistência ao parto e incorporação dos avanços tecnológicos na assistência perinatal, além de fatores de risco biológicos conhecidos associados à pobreza e à desinformação.Universidade Federal de São Paulo (UNIFESP)UNIFESPSciEL

Clinical chemistry, haematology, immune response and histological evaluation of rabbits after immunisation and challenge with rabbit haemorrhagic disease (RHD) virus

[EN] Following their immunisation and infection with a VSHI-CN-6 viral strain, a group of 15 rabbits were examined in a study of Rabbit Haemorrhagic Disease (RHD). Serum samples were collected from the external ear vein at 0, 15, 30 and 60 days post-immunisation. The recorded platelet numbers were closer to the lower physiological limit, indicating a mild thrombocytopenia, with values ranging from 26.6 to 30.43×104/mm3. The phagocytic index revealed significant differences (P<0.001) between the mean values obtained before vaccination (day 0) and the 3 post-vaccination measurements, confirming the increase in phagocytic capacity after immunisation. Additionally, the serum lysozyme average value equalled 9.14 mg/mL post-vaccination. The analysis of variance revealed significant statistical differences (P<0.05) between the average values obtained before vaccination (0) and the post-vaccination values, measured on day 14 and 30, respectively. The morphology of the samples collected from the main organs involved in immune protection, spleen and gastric and portal lymph nodes highlighted changes corresponding to the post-vaccination immunological response. The white pulp of the spleen appeared as a diffuse lymphoid tissue, presenting with primary and secondary lymphoid follicles. The ratio of white/red pulp was in favour of the white pulp and multiple lymphoid follicles were present, indicating their reactivation. In the medullary area of gastric and portal lymph nodes, narrow lymphoid cords, circumscribed by relatively large lymphatic sinuses, and well defined lymphocytolysis were observed. Moreover, the exudate and lymphoid follicles during activation were noted in the cortical area. Furthermore, the inflammatory processes were identified, morphologically manifested by the thickening of connective tissue in the lymph node capsule, dilacerations of the connective fibres and the presence of light acidophilic serous exudate with rare inflammatory cells (serous lymphoreticulitis).Stancu, CA.; Cărpinișan, L.; Ghișe, A.; Marcu, A.; Pentea, MC.; Dumitrescu, E.; Muselin, F.... (2017). Clinical chemistry, haematology, immune response and histological evaluation of rabbits after immunisation and challenge with rabbit haemorrhagic disease (RHD) virus. World Rabbit Science. 25(4):357-365. doi:10.4995/wrs.2017.7500SWORD35736525

Electrochemistry at nanoscale electrodes : individual single-walled carbon nanotubes (SWNTs) and SWNT-templated metal nanowires

Individual nanowires (NWs) and native single-walled carbon nanotubes (SWNTs) can be readily used as well-defined nanoscale electrodes (NSEs) for voltammetric analysis. Here, the simple photolithography-free fabrication of submillimeter long Au, Pt, and Pd NWs, with sub-100 nm heights, by templated electrodeposition onto ultralong flow-aligned SWNTs is demonstrated. Both individual Au NWs and SWNTs are employed as NSEs for electron-transfer (ET) kinetic quantification, using cyclic voltammetry (CV), in conjunction with a microcapillary-based electrochemical method. A small capillary with internal diameter in the range 30–70 μm, filled with solution containing a redox-active mediator (FcTMA+ ((trimethylammonium)methylferrocene), Fe(CN)64–, or hydrazine) is positioned above the NSE, so that the solution meniscus completes an electrochemical cell. A 3D finite-element model, faithfully reproducing the experimental geometry, is used to both analyze the experimental CVs and derive the rate of heterogeneous ET, using Butler–Volmer kinetics. For a 70 nm height Au NW, intrinsic rate constants, k0, up to ca. 1 cm s–1 can be resolved. Using the same experimental configuration the electrochemistry of individual SWNTs can also be accessed. For FcTMA+/2+ electrolysis the simulated ET kinetic parameters yield very fast ET kinetics (k0 > 2 ± 1 cm s–1). Some deviation between the experimental voltammetry and the idealized model is noted, suggesting that double-layer effects may influence ET at the nanoscale

Four-particle condensate in strongly coupled fermion systems

Four-particle correlations in fermion systems at finite temperatures are investigated with special attention to the formation of a condensate. Instead of the instability of the normal state with respect to the onset of pairing described by the Gorkov equation, a new equation is obtained which describes the onset of quartetting. Within a model calculation for symmetric nuclear matter, we find that below a critical density, the four-particle condensation (alpha-like quartetting) is favored over deuteron condensation (triplet pairing). This pairing-quartetting competition is expected to be a general feature of interacting fermion systems, such as the excition-biexciton system in excited semiconductors. Possible experimental consequences are pointed out.Comment: LaTeX, 11 pages, 2 figures, uses psfig.sty (included), to be published in Phys. Rev. Lett., tentatively scheduled for 13 April 1998 (Volume 80, Number 15

How are Real Grids Used? The Analysis of Four Grid Traces and Its Implications

The grid computing vision promises to provide the needed platform for a new and more demanding range of applications. For this promise to become true, a number of hurdles, including the design and deployment of adequate resource management and information services, need to be overcome. In this context, understanding the characteristics of real grid workloads is a crucial step for improving the quality of existing grid services, and in guiding the design of new solutions. Towards this goal, in this work we present the characteristics of traces of four real grid environments, namely LCG, Grid3, and TeraGrid, which are among the largest production grids currently deployed, and the DAS, which is a research grid. We focus our analysis on virtual organizations, on users, and on individual jobs characteristics. We further attempt to quantify the evolution and the performance of the grid systems from which our traces originate. Finally, given the scarcity of the information available for analysis purposes, we discuss the requirements of a new format for grid traces, and we propose the establishment of a virtual center for workload-based grid benchmarking data: the grid workloads archive

Radial Velocity Studies of Close Binary Stars. XI

Radial-velocity measurements and sine-curve fits to the orbital radial velocity variations are presented for ten close binary systems: DU Boo, ET Boo, TX Cnc, V1073 Cyg, HL Dra, AK Her, VW LMi, V566 Oph, TV UMi and AG Vir. By this contribution, the DDO program has reached the point of 100 published radial velocity orbits. The radial velocities have been determined using an improved fitting technique which uses rotational profiles to approximate individual peaks in broadening functions. Three systems, ET Boo, VW LMi and TV UMi, were found to be quadruple while AG Vir appears to be a spectroscopic triple. ET Boo, a member of a close visual binary with $P_{vis} = 113$ years, was previously known to be a multiple system, but we show that the second component is actually a close, non-eclipsing binary. The new observations enabled us to determine the spectroscopic orbits of the companion, non-eclipsing pairs in ET Boo and VW LMi. The particularly interesting case is VW LMi, where the period of the mutual revolution of the two spectroscopic binaries is only 355 days. While most of the studied eclipsing pairs are contact binaries, ET Boo is composed of two double-lined detached binaries and HL Dra is single-lined detached or semi-detached system. Five systems of this group were observed spectroscopically before: TX Cnc, V1073 Cyg, AK Her (as a single-lined binary), V566 Oph, AG Vir, but our new data are of much higher quality than the previous studies.Comment: Accepted by AJ, August 2006, 10 figures, 3 table

Biological correlates of elevated soluble TREM2 in cerebrospinal fluid

Cerebrospinal fluid (CSF) soluble triggering receptor expressed on myeloid cells-2 (sTREM2) is an emerging biomarker of neuroinflammation in Alzheimer's disease (AD). Yet, sTREM2 expression has not been systematically evaluated in relation to concomitant drivers of neuroinflammation. While associations between sTREM2 and tau in CSF are established, we sought to determine additional biological correlates of CSF sTREM2 during the prodromal stages of AD by evaluating CSF Aβ species (Aβx-40), a fluid biomarker of blood-brain barrier integrity (CSF/plasma albumin ratio), and CSF biomarkers of neurodegeneration measured in 155 participants from the Vanderbilt Memory and Aging Project. A novel association between high CSF levels of both sTREM2 and Aβx-40 was observed and replicated in an independent dataset. Aβx-40 levels, as well as the CSF/plasma albumin ratio, explained additional and unique variance in sTREM2 levels above and beyond that of CSF biomarkers of neurodegeneration. The component of sTREM2 levels correlated with Aβx-40 levels best predicted future cognitive performance. We highlight potential contributions of Aβ homeostasis and blood-brain barrier integrity to elevated CSF sTREM2, underscoring novel biomarker associations relevant to disease progression and clinical outcome measures