Change in the North Atlantic circulation associated with the mid-Pleistocene transition

The southwestern Iberian margin is highly sensitive to changes in the distribution of North Atlantic currents and to the position of oceanic fronts. In this work, the evolution of oceanographic parameters from 812 to 530 ka (MIS20-MIS14) is studied based on the analysis of planktonic foraminifer assemblages from site IODP-U1385 (37 degrees 34.285' N, 10 degrees 7.562' W; 2585m b.s.l.). By comparing the obtained results with published records from other North Atlantic sites between 41 and 55 degrees N, basin-wide paleoceano-graphic conditions are reconstructed. Variations of assemblages dwelling in different water masses indicate a major change in the general North Atlantic circulation during MIS16, coinciding with the definite establishment of the 100 ky cyclicity associated with the mid-Pleistocene transition. At the surface, this change consisted in the redistribution of water masses, with the subsequent thermal variation, and occurred linked to the northwestward migration of the Arctic Front (AF), and the increase in the North Atlantic Deep Water (NADW) formation with respect to previous glacials. During glacials prior to MIS16, the NADW formation was very weak, which drastically slowed down the surface circulation; the AF was at a southerly position and the North Atlantic Current (NAC) diverted southeastwards, developing steep south-north, and east-west, thermal gradients and blocking the arrival of warm water, with associated moisture, to high latitudes. During MIS16, the increase in the meridional overturning circulation, in combination with the northwestward AF shift, allowed the arrival of the NAC to subpolar latitudes, multiplying the moisture availability for ice-sheet growth, which could have worked as a positive feedback to prolong the glacials towards 100 ky cycles.info:eu-repo/semantics/publishedVersio

Shared Preferences by Predators and Females for Male Ornaments in Swordtails

Sexually dimorphic traits in many mate recognition systems have evolved in response to preexisting female biases. These biases are often quite general in form and are likely to be shared by predators, thereby imposing a cost on male trait expression. The Mexican tetra Astyanax mexicanus (Pisces: Characidae), a visual predator of swordtail fishes, exhibits the same visual preferences for male body size morphs as do females. Furthermore, tetras in populations where swordtails are absent prefer males with sword ornaments over males with swords removed. The predator preference is thus likely to have arisen prior to contact with fishes beating the ornaments, as has also been suggested for mating preferences for swords.Waller Creek Working Grou

A high-affinity antibody against the CSP N-terminal domain lacks Plasmodium falciparum inhibitory activity

Malaria is a global health concern and research efforts are ongoing to develop a superior vaccine to RTS,S/AS01. To guide immunogen design, we seek a comprehensive understanding of the protective humoral response against Plasmodium falciparum circumsporozoite protein (PfCSP). In contrast to the well-studied responses to the repeat region and the C-terminus, the antibody response against the N-terminal domain of PfCSP (N-CSP) remains obscure. Here, we characterized the molecular recognition and functional efficacy of the N-CSP-specific monoclonal antibody 5D5. The crystal structure at 1.85 Åresolution revealed that 5D5 binds an α-helical epitope in N-CSP with high affinity through extensive shape and charge complementarity, and the unusual utilization of an N-linked glycan. Nevertheless, functional studies indicated low 5D5 binding to live Pf sporozoites, and lack of sporozoite inhibition in vitro and in mosquitoes. Overall, our data on low recognition and inhibition of sporozoites do not support the inclusion of the 5D5 epitope into the next generation of CSP-based vaccines.Summary Statement The Plasmodium falciparum sporozoite surface protein, PfCSP, is an attractive vaccine target, but the antibody response against the CSP N-terminal domain has remained understudied. Here, to guide immunogen design, Thai et al. provide insights into the binding motif and functional efficacy of the N-terminal domain-specific monoclonal antibody, 5D5

Recent Technological Developments on LGAD and iLGAD Detectors for Tracking and Timing Applications

This paper reports the last technological development on the Low Gain Avalanche Detector (LGAD) and introduces a new architecture of these detectors called inverse-LGAD (iLGAD). Both approaches are based on the standard Avalanche Photo Diodes (APD) concept, commonly used in optical and X-ray detection applications, including an internal multiplication of the charge generated by radiation. The multiplication is inherent to the basic n++-p+-p structure, where the doping profile of the p+ layer is optimized to achieve high field and high impact ionization at the junction. The LGAD structures are optimized for applications such as tracking or timing detectors for high energy physics experiments or medical applications where time resolution lower than 30 ps is required. Detailed TCAD device simulations together with the electrical and charge collection measurements are presented through this work.Comment: Keywords: silicon detectors, avalanche multiplication, timing detectors, tracking detectors. 8 pages. 8 Figure

Differential transcription profiles inAedes aegyptidetoxification genes after temephos selection

The mosquito Aedes aegypti is the main vector of Dengue and Yellow Fever flaviviruses. The organophosphate insecticide temephos is a larvicide that is used globally to control Ae. aegypti populations; many of which have in turn evolved resistance. Target site alteration in the acetylcholine esterase of this species has not being identified. Instead, we tracked changes in transcription of metabolic detoxification genes using the Ae. aegypti ‘Detox Chip’ microarray during five generations of temephos selection. We selected for temephos resistance in three replicates in each of six collections, five from Mexico, and one from Peru. The response to selection was tracked in terms of lethal concentrations. Uniform upregulation was seen in the epsilon class glutathione-S-transferase (eGST) genes in strains from Mexico prior to laboratory selection, while eGSTs in the Iquitos Peru strain became upregulated after five generations of temephos selection. While expression of many carboxyl/cholinesterase esterase (CCE) genes increased with selection, no single esterase was consistently upregulated and this same pattern was noted in the cytochrome P450 monooxygenase (CYP) genes and in other genes involved in reduction or oxidation of xenobiotics. Bioassays using glutathione-S-transferase (GST), CCE and CYP inhibitors suggest that various CCEs instead of GSTs are the main metabolic mechanism conferring resistance to temephos. We show that temephos-selected strains show no cross resistance to permethrin and that genes associated with temephos selection are largely independent of those selected with permethrin in a previous study

Chemical composition, physicochemical evaluation and sensory analysis of yogurt added with extract of polyphenolic compounds from Quercus crassifolia oak bark

Introduction: A diet high in calories and saturated fats has been associated with health problems that have been increasing worldwide. Therefore, it is required to increase the number of formulated foods that generate well-being to health. Yogurt is a widely consumed food by all sectors of the population and it can be used as a vehicle to incorporate bioactive compounds. The phenolic compounds present in forest residues, such as those from oak bark, can be used and incorporated into yogurt, to increase its benefits as a functional food. Objective: The objective of this study was to develop a multifunctional yogurt enriched with vegetable oil (2.3% w/w) as a source of omega 6 and 3 and adding nanocapsules (24.5% w/w) of an extract of oak bark from Quercus crassifolia, rich in in phenolic compounds and high antioxidant capacity. Methods: Three yogurt formulations were prepared: F1: yogurt was made with non-fat milk, used as a control, F2: yogurt was prepared with non-fat milk and added with vegetable palm oil, and F3: non-fat yogurt was added with vegetable oil and nanoencapsulated oak bark phenolic extract. The yogurts were characterized in their chemical composition, microbiological analysis, and sensory analysis. Results: The multifunctional product F3 and product F2 presented lactic acid bacteria in concentration of 3.01X106 and 4.73x106, respectively, preserving characteristics of probiotic food. Product F3 presented low levels of syneresis (7.34%) and it was significantly different from the control yogurt (9.01%). The viscosity increased from 150 cP in the control yogurt to 341 cP in F3, due to the increase in the concentrations of solids by nanoencapsulating the phenolic. The wall material used for nanoencapsulation was sodium caseinate and mantodextrin. However, this increase in viscosity did not affect the sensory evaluation of the product. There were no significant differences between the control yogurt and the F2 and F3 products. Conclusion: A yogurt added with vegetable oil and nanoencapsulated oak bark phenolic extract was obtained. It was enhanced by the presence of probiotics, bioactive compounds, and essential fatty acids, and then evaluated and accepted by a sensory panel. Nanoencapsulation is a viable alternative to mask the characteristic astringent taste of phenolic compounds because it was not detected by the panelists

Monte Carlo approach to nonperturbative strings -- demonstration in noncritical string theory

We show how Monte Carlo approach can be used to study the double scaling limit in matrix models. As an example, we study a solvable hermitian one-matrix model with the double-well potential, which has been identified recently as a dual description of noncritical string theory with worldsheet supersymmetry. This identification utilizes the nonperturbatively stable vacuum unlike its bosonic counterparts, and therefore it provides a complete constructive formulation of string theory. Our data with the matrix size ranging from 8 to 512 show a clear scaling behavior, which enables us to extract the double scaling limit accurately. The ``specific heat'' obtained in this way agrees nicely with the known result obtained by solving the Painleve-II equation with appropriate boundary conditions.Comment: 15 pages, 10 figures, LaTeX, JHEP3.cls; references added, typos correcte

Crystal-field effects in Er3+- and Yb3+-doped hexagonal NaYF4 nanoparticles

COORDENAÇÃO DE APERFEIÇOAMENTO DE PESSOAL DE NÍVEL SUPERIOR - CAPESCONSELHO NACIONAL DE DESENVOLVIMENTO CIENTÍFICO E TECNOLÓGICO - CNPQFUNDAÇÃO DE AMPARO À PESQUISA DO ESTADO DE SÃO PAULO - FAPESPSince the up-conversion phenomenon in rare-earths (REs) doped NaYF4 is strongly affected by the crystal electric field (CF), determining the CF parameters, wave functions, and scheme of the energy levels of the RE J multiplets could be crucial to improve and tune the up-conversion efficiency. In this work, the temperature and magnetic field dependent magnetization of NaY1-x[Er(Yb)](x)F-4 hexagonal nanoparticles (NPs) is reported. The data were best fit using the appropriated CF Hamiltonian for the J = 15/2 (J = 7/2) ground state multiplet of Er3+ (Yb3+) ions. The B-2(0), B-4(0), B-6(0), and B-6(6) CF parameters were considered in the Hamiltonian for RE ions located at the hexagonal C-3h point symmetry site of the NaYF4 host lattice. These results allowed us to predict an overall CF splitting of similar to 214 (similar to 356 K) for Er3+ (Yb3+) and the wave functions and their energy levels for the J = 15/2 (J = 7/2) ground state multiplet which are in good agreement with the low temperature electron spin resonance experiments. Besides, our measurements allowed us to calculate all the excited CF J multiplets that yield to a good estimation of the up-conversion light emission linewidth. The nonlinear optical light emission of the studied NaY1-x[Er(Yb)](x)F-4 hexagonal NPs was also compared with the most efficient up-conversion codoped NaY1-x-yErxYbyF4 hexagonal NPs.961617COORDENAÇÃO DE APERFEIÇOAMENTO DE PESSOAL DE NÍVEL SUPERIOR - CAPESCONSELHO NACIONAL DE DESENVOLVIMENTO CIENTÍFICO E TECNOLÓGICO - CNPQFUNDAÇÃO DE AMPARO À PESQUISA DO ESTADO DE SÃO PAULO - FAPESPCOORDENAÇÃO DE APERFEIÇOAMENTO DE PESSOAL DE NÍVEL SUPERIOR - CAPESCONSELHO NACIONAL DE DESENVOLVIMENTO CIENTÍFICO E TECNOLÓGICO - CNPQFUNDAÇÃO DE AMPARO À PESQUISA DO ESTADO DE SÃO PAULO - FAPESPSem informaçãoSem informação2011/19924-22012/04870-72012/05903-62015/23882-4This work was supported and performed under the auspices of the Brazilian agencies CAPES, CNPq, and FAPESP through Grants No. 2011/19924-2, No. 2012/04870-7, No. 2012/05903-6, and No. 2015/23882-4. The SEM data were acquired in the LNNano at the Centro Nacional de Pesquisa em Energia e Materiais (CNPEM) in Campinas-SP, Brazil. D.J.G. acknowledges support from FONCyT (PICT 2012-1069)