Physics with the KLOE-2 experiment at the upgraded DAϕ\phiNE

Investigation at a $\phi$--factory can shed light on several debated issues in particle physics. We discuss: i) recent theoretical development and experimental progress in kaon physics relevant for the Standard Model tests in the flavor sector, ii) the sensitivity we can reach in probing CPT and Quantum Mechanics from time evolution of entangled kaon states, iii) the interest for improving on the present measurements of non-leptonic and radiative decays of kaons and eta/eta$^\prime$ mesons, iv) the contribution to understand the nature of light scalar mesons, and v) the opportunity to search for narrow di-lepton resonances suggested by recent models proposing a hidden dark-matter sector. We also report on the $e^+ e^-$ physics in the continuum with the measurements of (multi)hadronic cross sections and the study of gamma gamma processes.Comment: 60 pages, 41 figures; added affiliation for one of the authors; added reference to section

Analysis of anal droplets of the western flower thrips Frankliniella occidentalis

Larvae of the western flower thrips Frankliniella occidentalis are known to produce an anal droplet containing decyl acetate (10Ac) and dodecyl acetate (12Ac), which act as an alarm pheromone. Analysis by GC showed that the combined mass of 10Ac and 12Ac per droplet increased with age of second instars from 2 ng to 18 ng, while the mass ratio of 10Ac:12Ac increased from 0.4:1 to 1.1:1 (molar ratio 0.4:1 to 1.2:1). Droplet volume increased from 0.4 nl to 2.1 nl with age, but only about 1% of this was accounted for by 10Ac and 12Ac. The remainder contained water. Analysis by GC-MS using SPME revealed no other volatile components. Whole bodies contained about two to four times as much 10Ac and 12Ac as a droplet, but in a similar ratio

Integration of Discrete and Global Structures of Affect Across Three Large Samples: Specific Emotions Within-Persons and Global Affect Between-Persons

Researchers have held a long-standing debate regarding the validity of discrete emotions versus global affect. The current manuscript tries to integrate these perspectives by explicitly examining the structures of state and trait affect across time. Across three samples (sample 1: N = 176 Unites States undergraduates in a 50 day daily diary study, total observations = 7,504; sample 2: N = 2,104 in a 30 day daily diary study within a community sample in Germany; total observations = 28,090; sample 3: N = 245, ecological momentary assessment study within the United States from an outpatient psychiatry clinic completing five measurements per day for 21 days; total observations = 29,950), participants completed the Positive and Negative Affect Schedule. An exploratory multilevel factor analysis in sample 1 allowed for the simultaneous estimation of state factors (i.e., within-person factor analysis) and trait factors (i.e., between-person factor analysis). Confirmatory multilevel factor models examined the generalizability of the multilevel factor solutions to samples 2 and 3. Across all samples, the results suggested strong support for a two-factor solution for trait affect and a seven-factor solution for state emotion. Taken together, these results suggest that positive affect and negative affect can be used to describe differences across people, but at least seven differentiated emotions are experienced within persons across time

Antiestrogenic and anticancer activities of peptides derived from the active site of alpha-fetoprotein

Cyclo{\{}[{\}}EKTOVNOGN] (AFPep), a cyclic 9-amino acid peptide derived from the active site of alpha-fetoprotein, has been shown to prevent carcinogen-induced mammary cancer in rats and inhibit the growth of ER(+) human breast cancer xenografts in mice. Recently, studies using replica exchange molecular dynamics predicted that the TOVN region of AFPep might form a dynamically stable putative Type I beta-turn, and thus be biologically active without additional amino acids. The studies presented in this paper were performed to determine whether TOVN and other small analogs of AFPep would inhibit estrogen-stimulated cancer growth and exhibit a broad effective-dose range. These peptides contained nine or fewer amino acids, and were designed to bracket or include the putative pharmacophoric region (TOVN) of AFPep. Biological activities of these peptides were evaluated using an immature mouse uterine growth inhibition assay, a T47D breast cancer cell proliferation assay, and an MCF-7 breast cancer xenograft assay. TOVN had very weak antiestrogenic activity in comparison to AFPep\u27s activity, whereas TOVNO had antiestrogenic and anticancer activities similar to AFPep. OVNO, which does not form a putative Type I beta-turn, had virtually no antiestrogenic and anticancer activities. A putative proteolytic cleavage product of AFPep, TOVNOGNEK, significantly inhibited E(2)-stimulated growth in vivo and in vitro over a wider dose range than AFPep or TOVNO. We conclude that TOVNO has anticancer potential, that TOVNOGNEK is as effective as AFPep in suppressing growth of human breast cancer cells, and that it does so over a broader effective-dose range