Cosmic Strings in Low Mass Higgs Cosmology

A class of grand unified theories with symmetry breaking scale of order $10^{16} GeV$ have a Higgs particle with mass in the $TeV$ scale. The cosmology of such theories is very different from usual. We study the cosmic strings obtained in such theories. These strings are much fatter than usual and their mass per unit length is reduced, resulting in a significant reduction in their cosmological effects. We also study the temperature evolution of such models.Comment: 15 pages, 4 figure

Investigating Critical Friendship: Peeling Back the Layers

This self-study documents two teacher educators’ professional inquiry into the notions of critical friendship. Specifically, we asked: How does our interactive inquiry on the topic of critical friendship lead us to new understandings of critical friends? Three theoretical perspectives framed this study – More Knowledgeable Others, Thought Collective, and reflection. Data sources included (a) artifacts from the self-study scholarship/literature, (b) written and real-time (audio recorded) dialogue, and (c) critical friend response memos. We systematically analyzed our data, linking the initial themes to our theoretical frame. These themes led to three findings about critical friendship: flexible definitions, complex characteristics, and multiple learning phases. Based on these findings, we created two research tools useful for researchers enacting critical friendship – the Critical Friend Definition Continuum and the Critical Friend Guide for Quality Assurance. Ultimately, we assert that we, along with our colleagues, must be responsible brokers of critical friendship by explicitly explaining our purposes, definitions and uses of critical friendship within our work as self-study researchers

Effects of nitrogen and phosphate fertilization on leaf nutrient content, photosynthesis, and growth of the novel bioenergy crop <i>Fallopia sachalinensis</i> cv. ‘Igniscum Candy‘

The aim of the study was to determine the effects of nitrogen and phosphate fertilization on the growth performance of the novel bioenergy crop Fallopia sachalliensis cv. ‘Igniscum Candy’ (Polygonaceae). In a controlled pot experiment various nitrogen (0, 50, 150, 300 kg N ha-1) and phosphate (20, 40, 80 kg P ha-1) fertilizer amounts were applied to measure the effect on the biomass, height, leaf area and nitrogen and phosphate use efficiency. Furthermore, ecophysiological processes (chlorophyll content, chlorophyll fluorescence, gas exchange) were measured with non-destructive methods. The application of nitrogen correlated positively with biomass production, while phosphate fertilization did not show a significant effect on plant growth or ecophysiological parameters. The leaf nitrogen contents were significantly correlated with the nitrogen applications, while the leaf phosphate contents did not show a correlation with the P fertilizations, but increased with the leaf nitrogen contents. A significant linear correlation between the measured SPAD values and chlorophyll contents as well as with the leaf nitrogen contents could be determined. Under the influence of the nitrogen fertilization, net photosynthesis increased from 3.7 to 6.6 μmol m-2 s-1. The results of this experiment demonstrated that nitrogen fertilization has an overall positive correlation with leaf nutrient content, photosynthesis, and overall growth of the bioenergy crop Fallopia sachalinensis var. Igniscum Candy

Desenvolvimento de blends de óleos essenciais e compostos majoritários no controle de microrganismos indicadores e patogênicos veiculados por alimentos / Development of blends of essential oils and major compounds in the control of indicator and pathogenic foodborne microorganisms

A aplicação de métodos naturais inovadores para o controle microbiológico em alimentos é vista como uma possibilidade de substituição aos tradicionais métodos existentes no mercado, as agroindústrias e indústrias responsáveis pelo processamento e preparação dos alimentos podem conferir risco à saúde dos consumidores, devido à alta probabilidade de ocorrências de contaminações por microrganismos indicadores e patogênicos. Com base neste contexto, o presente trabalho avaliou o emprego dos óleos essenciais em embutidos cárneos, sendo eles: presunto, bacon e salame. O uso dos óleos essenciais é uma alternativa de conservação de alimentos pois fornece alimentos mais naturais, frescos e/ou saudáveis e também diminui a concentração de aditivos sintéticos nos produtos. O objetivo deste projeto foi  desenvolver e verificar o efeito antimicrobiano de  blends de óleos essenciais de cardamomo (Elettaria cardamomum) e hortelã-pimenta (Mentha  piperita) , cravo da índia (Syzygium aromaticum), alecrim (Salvia rosmarinus), capim limão (Cymbopogon citratus), e compostos secundários como citral, cineol e eugenol  com foco no controle de microrganismos enteropatogênicos como  Escherichia  coli e Salmonella, visando a  substituição  de compostos  inorgânicos  utilizados  atualmente pelas indústrias de processamento de alimentos. O método utilizado para a extração dos óleos consiste no processo de hidrodestilação em aparelho de Clevenger modificado. O delineamento estatístico foi desenvolvido através do fatorial 4 x 4 com 4 repetições, empregando o método de diluição em caldo e difusão em ágar. Com os resultados obtidos através do CMI (concentração mínima inibitória) foi possível detectar os blends b8, b9, b13, b14, b15 e b16 com potencial de conservação e armazenamento de embutidos de forma natural e com segurança alimentar

Desenvolvimento de Blends de óleos essenciais e compostos majoritários no controle de microrganismos indicadores e patogênicos veiculados por alimentos / Development of Blends of Essential Oils and Major Compounds in the Control of Indicator and Pathogenic Foodborne Microorganisms

A aplicação de métodos naturais inovadores para o controle microbiológico em alimentos é vista como uma possibilidade de substituição aos tradicionais métodos existentes no mercado, as agroindústrias e indústrias responsáveis pelo processamento e preparação dos alimentos podem conferir risco à saúde dos consumidores, devido à alta probabilidade de ocorrências de contaminações por microrganismos indicadores e patogênicos. Com base neste contexto, o presente trabalho avaliou o emprego dos óleos essenciais em embutidos cárneos, sendo eles: presunto, bacon e salame. O uso dos óleos essenciais é uma alternativa de conservação de alimentos pois fornece alimentos mais naturais, frescos e/ou saudáveis e também diminui a concentração de aditivos sintéticos nos produtos. O objetivo deste projeto foi  desenvolver e verificar o efeito antimicrobiano de  blends de óleos essenciais de cardamomo (Elettaria cardamomum) e hortelã-pimenta (Mentha  piperita) , cravo da índia (Syzygium aromaticum), alecrim (Salvia rosmarinus), capim limão (Cymbopogon citratus), e compostos secundários como citral, cineol e eugenol  com foco no controle de microrganismos enteropatogênicos como  Escherichia  coli e Salmonella, visando a  substituição  de compostos  inorgânicos  utilizados  atualmente pelas indústrias de processamento de alimentos. O método utilizado para a extração dos óleos consiste no processo de hidrodestilação em aparelho de Clevenger modificado. O delineamento estatístico foi desenvolvido através do fatorial 4 x 4 com 4 repetições, empregando o método de diluição em caldo e difusão em ágar. Com os resultados obtidos através do CMI (concentração mínima inibitória) foi possível detectar os blends b8, b9, b13, b14, b15 e b16 com potencial de conservação e armazenamento de embutidos de forma natural e com segurança alimentar

Focus: Implementing participation - Advancement of social services in analog and digital spaces

Digitale Informations- und Kommunikationstechnologien gewinnen als fester Bestandteil zunehmend Bedeutung in den alltäglichen Lebenswelten einer wachsenden Zahl von Menschen. Ihre Entwicklung und selbstverständliche Nutzung schreiten in einem immer rasanteren Tempo voran; die vielfältigen Anwendungsmöglichkeiten adressieren längst alle Lebensbereiche. Während der Digitalisierung von Kommunikationsprozessen zuweilen demokratisierende Kräfte zugesprochen werden, scheint eine kritische Reflexion möglicher Potentiale und Auswirkungen digitaler Informations- und Kommunikationstechnologien auf Teilhabedynamiken in unterschiedlichen Lebensbereichen dringend erforderlich. Die Autorinnen und Autoren möchten mit dieser SI:SO-Schwerpunktausgabe einen Beitrag zu einer kritischen Reflexion digitaler Innovationen und ihrer Auswirkungen auf die zukünftige Gestaltung sozialer Dienste leisten. Mit der zweisprachigen Ausgabe ist zudem die Hoffnung verbunden, diesen Beitrag auch einem europäischen und weltweiten Publikum zugänglich zu machen.Digital information and communications technologies are becoming an increasingly important part in everyday life of a growing number of people. Their development and natural use are progressing even faster with a wide range of possible applications addressing all areas of life. While the digitization of communication processes is sometimes said to have democratizing forces, critical reflection on the potential and impact of digital information and communication technologies on participation dynamics in different areas of life seems urgently needed. The Authors would like to contribute to a critical reflection on digital innovations and their impact on the future design of social services. The bilingual edition further aims to make this contribution accessible to a European and global audience

Precaution or Integrated Responsibility Approach to Nanovaccines in Fish Farming? A Critical Appraisal of the UNESCO Precautionary Principle

Nanoparticles have multifaceted advantages in drug administration as vaccine delivery and hence hold promises for improving protection of farmed fish against diseases caused by pathogens. However, there are concerns that the benefits associated with distribution of nanoparticles may also be accompanied with risks to the environment and health. The complexity of the natural and social systems involved implies that the information acquired in quantified risk assessments may be inadequate for evidence-based decisions. One controversial strategy for dealing with this kind of uncertainty is the precautionary principle. A few years ago, an UNESCO expert group suggested a new approach for implementation of the principle. Here we compare the UNESCO principle with earlier versions and explore the advantages and disadvantages by employing the UNESCO version to the use of PLGA nanoparticles for delivery of vaccines in aquaculture. Finally, we discuss whether a combined scientific and ethical analysis that involves the concept of responsibility will enable approaches that can provide a supplement to the precautionary principle as basis for decision-making in areas of scientific uncertainty, such as the application of nanoparticles in the vaccination of farmed fish

A potential WIMP signature for the caustic ring halo model

Weakly Interacting Massive Particle (WIMP) direct detection event rate calculations usually rely on fairly simple, essentially static, analytic halo models. This is largely since the resolution of numerical simulations is not yet large enough to allow the full numerical calculation of the WIMP density and velocity distribution. In this paper we study the direct detection rate, in particular its energy dependence and annual modulation, for the caustic ring halo model. In this model, which uses simple assumptions to model the infall of dark matter onto the halo, the distribution of the cold dark matter particles at the Earth's location has a series of peaks in velocity space. We find that the sign of the annual modulation in the event rate changes as a function of recoil energy. These effects provide a potentially distinctive experimental signal.Comment: 6 pages, 3 figures. Version to appear in Phys. Rev. D. Comparsion with DAMA annual modulation data replaced with qualitative discussio

The cross-sectional GRAS sample: A comprehensive phenotypical data collection of schizophrenic patients

<p>Abstract</p> <p>Background</p> <p>Schizophrenia is the collective term for an exclusively clinically diagnosed, heterogeneous group of mental disorders with still obscure biological roots. Based on the assumption that valuable information about relevant genetic and environmental disease mechanisms can be obtained by association studies on patient cohorts of ≥ 1000 patients, if performed on detailed clinical datasets and quantifiable biological readouts, we generated a new schizophrenia data base, the GRAS (Göttingen Research Association for Schizophrenia) data collection. GRAS is the necessary ground to study genetic causes of the schizophrenic phenotype in a 'phenotype-based genetic association study' (PGAS). This approach is different from and complementary to the genome-wide association studies (GWAS) on schizophrenia.</p> <p>Methods</p> <p>For this purpose, 1085 patients were recruited between 2005 and 2010 by an invariable team of traveling investigators in a cross-sectional field study that comprised 23 German psychiatric hospitals. Additionally, chart records and discharge letters of all patients were collected.</p> <p>Results</p> <p>The corresponding dataset extracted and presented in form of an overview here, comprises biographic information, disease history, medication including side effects, and results of comprehensive cross-sectional psychopathological, neuropsychological, and neurological examinations. With >3000 data points per schizophrenic subject, this data base of living patients, who are also accessible for follow-up studies, provides a wide-ranging and standardized phenotype characterization of as yet unprecedented detail.</p> <p>Conclusions</p> <p>The GRAS data base will serve as prerequisite for PGAS, a novel approach to better understanding 'the schizophrenias' through exploring the contribution of genetic variation to the schizophrenic phenotypes.</p