Spectral distortions from promising single and multifield inflationary models

Forthcoming missions probing the absolute intensity of the CMB are expected to be able to measure spectral distortions, which are deviations from its blackbody distribution. As cosmic inflation can induce spectral distortions, these experiments offer a possibility to further test the various promising inflationary proposals, whose predictions need to be carefully determined. After numerically fitting all inflationary observables to match current observations, we compute the predicted spectral distortions of various promising single and multifield inflationary models. The predictions of single-field inflationary models display deviations between 1% and 20% with respect to the standard cosmological model in the observable window, where multi-natural and axion-monodromy inflation stand out in this respect. In the case of multifield inflation, we observe a richer structure of the power spectrum, which, in the case of so-called hybrid attractors, yields spectral distortions about 100 times more intense than the standard signal. These observations open up questions about the relation among our results and other cosmological observables that are also to be probed soon.Comment: 30 pages + references, 17 figures, 6 table

G-band Spectral Synthesis in Solar Magnetic Concentrations

Narrow band imaging in the G-band is commonly used to trace the small magnetic field concentrations of the Sun, although the mechanism that makes them bright has remained unclear. We carry out LTE syntheses of the G-band in an assorted set of semi-empirical model magnetic concentrations. The syntheses include all CH lines as well as the main atomic lines within the band-pass. The model atmospheres produce bright G-band spectra having many properties in common with the observed G-band bright points. In particular, the contrast referred to the quiet Sun is about twice the contrast in continuum wavelengths. The agreement with observations does not depend on the specificities of the model atmosphere, rather it holds from single fluxtubes to MIcro-Structured Magnetic Atmospheres. However, the agreement requires that the real G-band bright points are not spatially resolved, even in the best observations. Since the predicted G-band intensities exceed by far the observed values, we foresee a notable increase of contrast of the G-band images upon improvement of the angular resolution. According to the LTE modeling, the G-band spectrum emerges from the deep photosphere that produces the continuum. Our syntheses also predict solar magnetic concentrations showing up in continuum images but not in the G-band . Finally, we have examined the importance of the CH photo-dissociation in setting the amount of G-band absorption. It turns out to play a minor role.Comment: To appear in ApJ, 554 n2 Jun 20, 33 pages and 9 figure

The blaSHV-5 gene is encoded in a compound transposon duplicated in tandem in Enterobacter cloacae

AbstractThe presence of blaSHV-5 is described in a compound transposon, duplicated in tandem and flanked by IS26 copies on a 70-kb conjugative plasmid (pHNM1), in an Enterobacter cloacae strain associated with a nosocomial outbreak that occurred in Mexico

Total Gastrectomy for locally advanced Cancer: The total Laparoscopic Approach

Total gastrectomy is the treatment of choice for adenocarcinoma of the upper and middle third of the stomach resected with curative intent. The laparoscopic approach allows satisfactory exploration of the peritoneal cavity and optimizes staging in borderline T3 or T4 tumours in patients affected by locally advanced tumours or intraperitoneal carcinomatosis. Laparoscopy can eliminate unnecessary laparotomies in 10 % of patients affected by these conditions with formal contraindications for resection [1] . Complete resection of the stomach associated with D2 lymph node dissection is also performed using a currently well-established technique [2, 3] . The specificity of laparoscopic gastric resection for cancer is that the stomach and the greatomentum are withdrawn separately.Reconstruction of the digestive tract is more complex, and requires a variety of techniques (supra-umbilical mini-laparotomy, Orvil® technique, enlarging a port-site for passage of a circular stapler, mechanical side to side anastomosis, etc), but none ofthese has become the gold standard [4-7] . This explains the difficulties encountered in promoting the widespread use of minimally invasive resection in western countries. Scientific societies insist on the need for prospective studies to establish the place of laparoscopy for gastric cancer (prophylactic gastrectomy for CDH-1 related gastric cancer, < T3 Tumours, palliative gastrectomy) [4] . Here, we present our technique for total resection of the stomach and D2 lymph node dissection, which allows the manualcreation of a feasible, safe, tension-free and effective esojejunal anastomosis. It can be performed by any surgeon familiar with laparoscopic surgery and the principles of oncologic resection. The cost is also relatively low because neither a circular staplernor other special equipment is required. Finally, the incision for extraction of the specimen can be placed in any area of the abdomen (usually through a supra-pubic incision in our practice).Keywords: Gastric cancer, laparoscopy, total gastrectomy, lymphadenectomy, Intracorporeal anastomosis.Total gastrectomy is the treatment of choice for adenocarcinoma of the upper and middle third of the stomach resected with curative intent. The laparoscopic approach allows satisfactory exploration of the peritoneal cavity and optimizes staging in borderline T3 or T4 tumours in patients affected by locally advanced tumours or intraperitoneal carcinomatosis. Laparoscopy can eliminate unnecessary laparotomies in 10 % of patients affected by these conditions with formal contraindications for resection [1] . Complete resection of the stomach associated with D2 lymph node dissection is also performed using a currently well-established technique [2, 3] . The specificity of laparoscopic gastric resection for cancer is that the stomach and the great omentum are withdrawn separately.Reconstruction of the digestive tract is more complex, and requires a variety of techniques (supra-umbilical mini-laparotomy, Orvil® technique, enlarging a port-site for passage of a circular stapler, mechanical side to side anastomosis, etc), but none of these has become the gold standard [4-7] . This explains the difficulties encountered in promoting the widespread use of minimally invasive resection in western countries. Scientific societies insist on the need for prospective studies to establish the place of laparoscopy for gastric cancer (prophylactic gastrectomy for CDH-1 related gastric cancer, < T3 Tumours, palliative gastrectomy) [4] . Here, we present our technique for total resection of the stomach and D2 lymph node dissection, which allows the manual creation of a feasible, safe, tension-free and effective esojejunal anastomosis. It can be performed by any surgeon familiar with laparoscopic surgery and the principles of oncologic resection. The cost is also relatively low because neither a circular stapler nor other special equipment is required. Finally, the incision for extraction of the specimen can be placed in any area of the abdomen (usually through a supra-pubic incision in our practice).Keywords: Gastric cancer, laparoscopy, total gastrectomy, lymphadenectomy, Intracorporeal anastomosis

Evidence of cross gene regulation of some virulence factors of Porphyromonas gingivalis by Streptococcus intermedius

Periodontal disease has been associated with poor dental care, which promotes the accumulation of bacteria and the development of diseases of the mouth. Porphyromonas gingivalis are anaerobic Gramnegative bacteria found in the subgingival plaque. They are largely responsible for chronic periodontal disease. Streptococcus intermedius is a Gram positive coccus found in the supragingival plaque. The objective of the present work was to evaluate the expression of several virulence genes of P. gingivalis in a mixed culture with S. intermedius using qPCR and heterologous microarrays. P. gingivalis ATCC 33277 and W83 and S. intermedius ATCC 27335 strains were cultured and total RNA was extracted using the High Pure RNA isolation kit. Oligodeoxynucleotides were designed to make multiple comparisons with organisms. Microarray was performed to identify gene expression. To quantify gene expression, cDNA samples from three different P. gingivalis:S. intermedius ratios were diluted 10-1, 10-2 and 10-3. The microarray experiment indicated that in P. gingivalis, 29 genes were upregulated. The putative function of upregulated genes was the biosynthesis of different metabolic pathways. Heterologous microarrays are a new approach that are useful for investigating gene expression.Keywords: Porphyromonas gingivalis, Streptococcus intermedius, periodontal disease, virulence genes, cross gene regulation.African Journal of Biotechnology Vol. 12(28), pp. 4498-450

Ameliorating Systematic Uncertainties in the Angular Clustering of Galaxies: A Study using SDSS-III

We investigate the effects of potential sources of systematic error on the angular and photometric redshift, z_phot, distributions of a sample of redshift 0.4 < z < 0.7 massive galaxies whose selection matches that of the Baryon Oscillation Spectroscopic Survey (BOSS) constant mass sample. Utilizing over 112,778 BOSS spectra as a training sample, we produce a photometric redshift catalog for the galaxies in the SDSS DR8 imaging area that, after masking, covers nearly one quarter of the sky (9,913 square degrees). We investigate fluctuations in the number density of objects in this sample as a function of Galactic extinction, seeing, stellar density, sky background, airmass, photometric offset, and North/South Galactic hemisphere. We find that the presence of stars of comparable magnitudes to our galaxies (which are not traditionally masked) effectively remove area. Failing to correct for such stars can produce systematic errors on the measured angular auto-correlation function, w, that are larger than its statistical uncertainty. We describe how one can effectively mask for the presence of the stars, without removing any galaxies from the sample, and minimize the systematic error. Additionally, we apply two separate methods that can be used to correct the systematic errors imparted by any parameter that can be turned into a map on the sky. We find that failing to properly account for varying sky background introduces a systematic error on w. We measure w, in four z_phot slices of width 0.05 between 0.45 < z_phot < 0.65 and find that the measurements, after correcting for the systematic effects of stars and sky background, are generally consistent with a generic LambdaCDM model, at scales up to 60 degrees. At scales greater than 3 degrees and z_phot > 0.5, the magnitude of the corrections we apply are greater than the statistical uncertainty in w.Comment: Accepted by MNRA

Searching singlet extensions of the supersymmetric standard model in Z6−II Z_{6-II} orbifold compactification of heterotic string

We search for supersymmetric standard model realizations with extra singlets and extra $U(1)$ using the heterotic string compactification on the $Z_{6-II}$ orbifold with two Wilson lines. We analyze the vacuum restabilization mechanism for three representative Pati-Salam string models obtained in the literature and present detailed results for the effective superpotential compatible with the string selection rules. An automated selection of semi-realistic vacua along flat directions in the non-Abelian singlet modes field space is performed by requiring the presence of massless pairs of electroweak Higgs bosons having trilinear superpotential couplings with massless singlet modes and the decoupling of color triplet exotic modes needed to suppress $B$ and $L$ number violating processes.Comment: revtex4 format, 21 pages, 7 tables, shortened version added reference

Análisis paleontológicos a través límite Ediacárico-Cámbrico, Grupo Alto Corumbá, Brasil

This work presents the results of a palaeontological analysis focused on twenty-six species sampled in five sections of the Tamengo and Guaicurus formations, Corumbá and Ladário regions: Corcal and Laginha quarries, Porto Sobramil, Porto Figueiras and Ecoparque Cacimba. Besides, palaeoecological and palaeoenvironmental inferences are presented based on the occurrence of this fossil assemblage. Cloudina carinata Cortijo et al., 2010, previously documented in Spain and Siberia, presents an unprecedented occurrence in the American continent, in siltstones of the Tamengo Formation at Porto Figueiras section, Municipality of Corumbá, Mato Grosso do Sul State, Brazil. The biota of the Tamengo Formation is updated and composed of three biomineralizing metazoans, including poriferan spicules, putative sponge gemmule, and a sessile epibiontic prokaryotic colony. The present work also deals with the taxonomy and stratigraphic distribution of four ichnospecies and three vendotaenid species that integrate the updated benthic fauna for the upper portion of Corumbá Group. The species diversity of the Tamengo Formation was complemented by the occurrence of sixteen microfossil species that possibly represent a marine planktic assemblage. A dramatic change was identified in the palaeoenvironmental conditions of the Tamengo to Guaicurus formations, followed by a mass extinction event, possibly linked to the global Ediacaran- Cambrian mass extinction. In addition, organic-walled microfossils were prepared and analyzed from sections of three countries: nine species from the Nomtsas Formation, Namibia; four species from the Tagatiya Guazu Formation, Paraguay; and six species from the Dengying Formation, China. An international biostratigraphic essay consisting of six biozones is proposed for the uppermost Ediacaran and one biozone for the earliest Cambrian.Se presenta en este trabajo el análisis paleontológico de 26 especies fósiles muestradas en cinco cortes de las Formaciones de Tamengo y Guaicurus en las regines de Corumbá y Ladário: canteras de Corcal y Laginha, Porto Sobramil, Porto Figueiras y Ecoparque Cacimba. Además, se añaden varias interpretaciones paleoecológicas y ambientales, basadas en el registro fósil. Cloudina carinata Cortijo et al., 2010, previamente citada en España y Siberia, aparece por primera vez en el continente Americano, concretamente en limolitas de la Formación Tamengo en el corte de Porto Figueiras, Corumbá, Estado de Mato Grosso do Sul, Brasil. La biota de la Formación Tamengo incluye tres metazoos mineralizados, que incluyen espículas de poríferos, posibles gémulas de esponjas y una colonia sésil de procaiotas epibentónicos. Este trabajo se centra en la taxonomía y distribución estratigráfica de cuatro icnoespecies y tres especies de vendoténidos que forman la fauna bentónica de la parte superior del Grupo de Corumbá. La biodiversidad de la Formación Tamengo ha sido completada con el registro de 16 especies microfósiles que representan posiblemente una asociación plantónica marina. Se ha identificado un cambio drástico en las condiciones ambientales de las Formaciones Tamengo y Guaicurus, que culminan en un evento de extincinón masiva posiblemente relacionado con la extincición en masa que marca el tránsito global Ediácarico- Cámbrico. Por otro lado, se han extraído microfósiles de pared orgánica de varios afloramientos: nueve especies de la Formación de Nomtsas (Namibia), cuatro de la Formación Tagatiya Guazu (Paraguay) y seis de la Formación Dengying (China). Se propone un marco bioestratigráfico para el Ediacárico terminal que incluye seis biozonas y una biozona para el Cámbrico basal