Space VLBI Observations of 3C371

We present the first space VLBI observations of 3C~371, carried out at a frequency of 4.8 GHz. The combination of the high resolution provided by the orbiting antenna Highly Advanced Laboratory for Communications and Astronomy (HALCA) and the high sensitivity of the VLBA allows imaging of the jet of 3C~371 with an angular resolution of approximately 0.26 mas, which for this relatively nearby source corresponds to $\sim$ 0.4 h$^{-1}$ pc. Comparison between two epochs separated by 66 days reveals no apparent motions in the inner 7 mas jet structure above an upper limit of $\sim 1.4 h^{-1}$ c. This value, the absence of detectable counterjet emission from the presumably symmetric jet, plus the presence of extended double-lobe structure, are consistent with the knots in the jet being stationary features such as standing shocks. The jet intensity declines with the angular distance from the core as $\phi^{-1.68}$. This is more gradual than that derived for 3C~120, $\phi^{-1.86}$, for which there is evidence for strong intereactions between the jet and ambient medium. This suggests that in 3C~371 there is a greater level of {\it in situ} acceleration of electrons and amplification of magnetic field. We interpret sharp bends in the jet at sites of off-center knots as further evidence for the interaction between the jet and external medium, which may also be responsible for the generation of standing recollimation shocks. These recollimation shocks may be responsible for the presumably stationary components. The radio properties of 3C~371 are intermediate between those of other radio galaxies with bright cores and those of BL Lacertae objects.Comment: 5 pages, 4 figures. Accepted for publication in Ap

A Cluster of Compact Radio Sources in NGC 2024 (Orion B)

We present deep 3.6 cm radio continuum observations of the H II region NGC 2024 in Orion B obtained using the Very Large Array in its A-configuration, with $0\rlap.{''}2$ angular resolution. We detect a total of 25 compact radio sources in a region of $4' \times 4'$. We discuss the nature of these sources and its relation with the infrared and X-ray objects in the region. At least two of the radio sources are obscured proplyds whose morphology can be used to restrict the location of the main ionizing source of the region. This cluster of radio sources is compared with others that have been found in regions of recent star formation.Comment: 21 pages, 7 figure

NGcGM3 Ganglioside: A Privileged Target for Cancer Vaccines

Active specific immunotherapy is a promising field in cancer research. N-glycolyl (NGc) gangliosides, and particularly NGcGM3, have received attention as a privileged target for cancer therapy. Many clinical trials have been performed with the anti-NGc-containing gangliosides anti-idiotype monoclonal antibody racotumomab (formerly known as 1E10) and the conjugated NGcGM3/VSSP vaccine for immunotherapy of melanoma, breast, and lung cancer. The present paper examines the role of NGc-gangliosides in tumor biology as well as the available preclinical and clinical data on these vaccine products. A brief discussion on the relevance of prioritization of cancer antigens in vaccine development is also included

The Architect: Four Countries, Four Faces

Draft of Part One of 3-Part BookSociology Department, Lucy Cavendish College & Centre of African Studies, U Cambridg

A common copy-number variant within SIRPB1 correlates with human Out-of-Africa migration after genetic drift correction

Previous reports have proposed that personality may have played a role on human Out-Of- Africa migration, pinpointing some genetic variants that were positively selected in the migrating populations. In this work, we discuss the role of a common copy-number variant within the SIRPB1 gene, recently associated with impulsive behavior, in the human Out-Of-Africa migration. With the analysis of the variant distribution across forty-two different populations, we found that the SIRPB1 haplotype containing duplicated allele significantly correlated with human migratory distance, being one of the few examples of positively selected loci found across the human world colonization. Circular Chromosome Conformation Capture (4C-seq) experiments from the SIRPB1 promoter revealed important 3D modifications in the locus depending on the presence or absence of the duplication variant. In addition, a 3' enhancer showed neural activity in transgenic models, suggesting that the presence of the CNV may compromise the expression of SIRPB1 in the central nervous system, paving the way to construct a molecular explanation of the SIRPB1 variants role in human migration

Triazole-Containing [FeFe] Hydrogenase Mimics: Synthesis and Electrocatalytic Behavior

Item en revisión. Pendiente de cumplimentar metadatos.Through a Cu-catalyzed Huisgen cycloaddition between terminal alkynes and azides (CuAAC) reaction, azide [(μ-SCH2)2N(4- N3C6H4)Fe2(CO)6] has demonstrated to be a robust and versatile reagent able to incorporate the [(μ-SR)2Fe2(CO)6] fragment on a wide range of substrates, ranging from aromatic compounds to nucleosides, metallocenes, or redox and luminescent markers. The [FeIFeI]/[Fe0FeI] and [Fe0FeI]/[Fe0Fe0] reduction potentials of the triazole derivatives prepared are comparable to those of other aminodithiolate (adt) Fe−Fe hydrogenase mimics. The presence of the triazole linker influences the electrochemical behavior of these complexes depending on the strength of the acid employed

Mode coupling in the nonlinear response of black holes

We study the properties of the outgoing gravitational wave produced when a non-spinning black hole is excited by an ingoing gravitational wave. Simulations using a numerical code for solving Einstein's equations allow the study to be extended from the linearized approximation, where the system is treated as a perturbed Schwarzschild black hole, to the fully nonlinear regime. Several nonlinear features are found which bear importance to the data analysis of gravitational waves. When compared to the results obtained in the linearized approximation, we observe large phase shifts, a stronger than linear generation of gravitational wave output and considerable generation of radiation in polarization states which are not found in the linearized approximation. In terms of a spherical harmonic decomposition, the nonlinear properties of the harmonic amplitudes have simple scaling properties which offer an economical way to catalog the details of the waves produced in such black hole processes.Comment: 17 pages, 20 figures, abstract and introduction re-writte

Etiological and molecular diagnostic of Carrion’s disease in patients from Cajamarca - Perú

[EN] Poster presented in the poster session in the 15th ICID Abstracts. June 13th-16th 2012, Bangkok, Thailand. Session: Emerging Infectious Diseases. Date: Friday, June 15, 2012. Room: Poster & Exhibition Area.Background: Bartonellagenus is a group of facultative intracellular pathogens that posses able to survive and proliferate inside of erythrocytes. Classified within this genus,Bartonella bacilliformisis of special relevance. This microorganism is the etiological agent of the so called Carrion’s Disease (Human bartonellosis). Additionally the presence of sub-clinical cases (asymptomatyc carriers) is of special interest, because acts as a reservoir of this illness. Carrión’s Disease is an endemic illnes in Perú, affecting in a special manner the north interandean valleys. However, the current in use diagnostic techniques (Giemsa Stain) possess low sensitivity and specificity, and due to the fact thatB. bacilliformispossess a low growth (weeks), bacterial cultures lacks of clinical utility. Thus suspictious cases frequently are not confirmed, and the real relevance of this illness remains underestimated. This work is addressed to the direct identification from blood samples ofBartonella baciliformisusing a conventional PCR. All patients were from the Cajamarca area being enrolled by the Epidemiological Surveillance program of DIRESA. Methods: The samples were processed at arriving to the laboratory, by molecular and microbiological techniques. Thus samples were cultured in Blood Columbia Agar (10%), in anaerobic conditions at 28 ◦C for a period of 2 months. Positive cultures were both Giemsa stained and identified by the amplification of a fragment the 16S rRNA gene. Genetic material was directly extracted from blood samples using the Kit High Pure (Roche diagnostic), and a fragment of 438 bp of the 16S rRNA gene was amplified withBartonellagenus specific primers. All positive PCR were sequenced (Macrogen-Korea). Results: A total of 134 blood samples were processed, from this 12 (8.9%) grown in blood agar, while in 18 (13.4%), including the aforementioned 12, the 16 s rRNA gene was amplified. In all cases the sequence analysis showed the presence ofB. bacilliformis Conclusion: Although microbiological culture is the gold standard in the identification ofBartonellaspp., this technique possess strong limitations due to the low growth of these microorganisms. However, the PCR is a rapid technique, possessing a high sensibility and specificity that may be used as routine diagnostic tool for the identification of Carrion’s Disease.Revisión por pare

High cooperativity coupling to nuclear spins on a circuit quantum electrodynamics architecture

Nuclear spins are candidates to encode qubits or qudits due to their isolation from magnetic noise and potentially long coherence times. However, their weak coupling to external stimuli makes them hard to integrate into circuit quantum electrodynamics architectures, the leading technology for solid-state quantum processors. Here, we study the coupling of 173Yb(III) nuclear spin states in an [Yb(trensal)] molecule to superconducting cavities. Experiments have been performed on magnetically dilute single crystals placed on the inductors of lumped-element LC superconducting resonators with characteristic frequencies spanning the range of nuclear and electronic spin transitions. We achieve a high cooperative coupling to all electronic and most nuclear [173Yb(trensal)] spin transitions, a necessary ingredient for the implementation of qudit protocols with molecular spins using a hybrid architecture