Glueball Masses from Linearly Confining Supergravity

Mass spectrum of 0++ glueballs is produced using a dual supergravity theory we proposed for pure N=1 SU(N) gauge theory in four dimensions in the large N limit in the IR. The glueball states are expressed in terms of Whittaker functions. The spectrum is discrete and a function whose roots give the masses is written. The ratios of the masses are independent of the parameters of the theory and comparison to recent non-supersymmetric large N lattice QCD data available for the lowest three states shows agreement to within five percent.Comment: 11 page

Evaluation of genetic diversity in barley (Hordeum vulgare L.) from Wollo high land areas using agromorphological traits and hordein

This study aimed to determine the genetic diversity and relationships among barley varieties (Hordeum vulgare L.) growing at Wollo Highland areas by using hordein and agro-morphological traits. Twenty (20) varieties were laid down in randomized complete block design (RCBD) design with three replications; they were planted by irrigation at Wollo University, Dessie Campus from January to May 2014. The genetic analysis using hordein was done in the laboratory of Ethiopian Biodiversity Institute (EBI) in July 2014. Ten (10) competitive random plants from the rows of the experimental plots were taken for recording their agromorphological characters. Electrophoretic separation of barley storage proteins or hordeins was done using acid polyacrylamide gel electrophoresis (A-PAGE). The traits: day of heading, day of maturity, grain yield (kg/ha), plant height, spike length, number of spiklet per spike, kernel number per spike, weight of seed per spike and biomass yield (g/plot) were highly significant for the diversity of barely, whereas thousand seed weight was less significant. The results reveal positive correlation between spike length and number of spiklet per spike (the highest correlations from the agro morphological traits); the next highly correlated traits were kernel weight per spike and thousand seed weight. The A-PAGE analysis showed limited variation among the analysed accessions. The Nei’s genetic distance for all varieties of barely varied from 0.0000 to 1.6094. It is found that the 20 genotypes of barely investigated in this research were having a gene diversity (h) of overall populations (0.138) using hordein. The cluster analysis grouped the 20 barely genotypes into three different clusters using agro-morphological traits and into four clusters using hordein. This indicates the presence of wide diversity among the tested genotypes. From cluster mean values of agro-morphological traits, genotypes in cluster III deserve consideration for directly developing high yielding barely varieties. The result of the principal components analysis revealed that the first three principal components having greater than 1 eigenvalue contributed 84.22% of the total variation. From this study, it can be concluded that the presence of high morphological variation indicated the potential of Wollo Highland areas in contributing to barley improvement and conservation activities of land areas.Key words: Acid polyacrylamide gel electrophoresis, agro-morphological traits, hordein, genetic distance, hordeum vulgare, variability

Type IIB Flows with N=1 Supersymmetry

We write general and explicit equations which solve the supersymmetry transformations with two arbitrary complex-proportional Weyl spinors on $\mathcal{N}=1$ supersymmetric type IIB strings backgrounds with all R-R $F_1$, $F_3$, $F_5$ and NS-NS $H_3$ fluxes turned on using SU(3) structures. The equations are generalizations of the ones found for specific relations between the two spinors by Grana, Minasian, Petrini and Tomasiello in [1] and by Butti, Grana, Minasian, Petrini and Zaffaroni in [2]. The general equations allow to study systematically generic type IIB backgrounds with $\mathcal{N}=1$ supersymmetry. We then explore some specific classes of flows with constant axion, flows with constant dilaton, flows on conformally Calabi-Yau backgrounds, flows with imaginary self-dual 3-form flux, flows with constant ratio of the two spinors, the corresponding equations are written down and some of their features and relations are discussed.Comment: 28 page

Structures in the Gauge/Gravity Duality Cascade

We study corrections to the anomalous mass dimension and their effects in the Seiberg duality cascade in the Klebanov-Strassler throat, where $\mathcal{N}=1$ supersymmetric $SU(N+M)\times SU(N)$ gauge theory with bifundamental chiral superfields and a quartic tree level superpotential in four dimensions is dual to type IIB string theory on $AdS_5 \times T^{1,1}$ background. Analyzing the renormalization group flow of the couplings on the gauge theory side, we propose specific corrections to the anomalous mass dimension. Applying gauge/gravity duality, we then show that the corrections reveal structures on the supergravity side with steps appearing in the running of the fluxes and the metric. The "charges" at the steps provide a gravitational source for Seiberg duality transformations. The finiteness of these corrections suggests that the theory flows to a baryonic branch rather than to a confining branch. The cosmological implication of the duality cascade and the gauge/gravity duality on the brane inflationary scenario and the cosmic microwave background radiation is pointed out.Comment: v3: 40 pages, minor changes and typos fixe

Glycogenic control and associated factors among diabetic patients visiting Adama specialized Hospital, Oromiya, Ethiopia: A facility based cross sectional study

Introduction: Although glycaemic control is essential in diabetes management, evidences are lacking in resource limited settings. Therefore, this study was intended to assess the level of glycaemic control and associated factors among diabetic patients.Methods: The data were collected from 332 diabetic patients in Adama Specialized Hospital, Ethiopia from February to March 2012. A patient was included in the study if he/she was 15 years and above. The data were collected using structured questionnaires; a medical card review and anthropometric measurement was done by trained nurses. SPSS version 16.0 was used to analyze the data.Results: The study revealed that 180 (55.9%) of the respondents were adequately controlled their glycaemic level. The remaining were poorly controlled their glycaemic level. Poor glycaemic control was found among rural residents, type I diabetic patients, older age groups (>46 years), those who consumed alcohol and less restricted simple sugar intake, don’t adhere to their meal time and had been prescribed oral hypoglycaemic drug alone (p<0.05). On the other hand, being physically active, obtaining advice from health workers and self monitoring blood glucose level significantly helped patients to control their gylcaemic level (p<0.05).Conclusions: Significant proportions of diabetic patients were not able to control their glycaemic level and poor diabetic control was mainly found in patients with poor self care practices. Thus, health care providers should deliver individualized patient education and support those with elevated glycaemic level to help them better controls their conditions.Keywords: Diabetic, Glycaemic control, EthiopiaAfr J Health Sci. 2013; 26:302-31

On Exact Superpotentials, Free Energies and Matrix Models

We discuss exact results for the full nonperturbative effective superpotentials of four dimensional $\mathcal{N}=1$ supersymmetric U(N) gauge theories with additional chiral superfield in the adjoint representation and the free energies of the related zero dimensional bosonic matrix models with polynomial potentials in the planar limit using the Dijkgraaf-Vafa matrix model prescription and integrating in and out. The exact effective superpotentials are produced including the leading Veneziano-Yankielowicz term directly from the matrix models. We also discuss how to use integrating in and out as a tool to do random matrix integrals in the large $N$ limit.Comment: 14 pages; v2: typos corrected; v3: the scheme for computing exact superpotentials including both the Veneziano-Yankielowicz term and all instanton corrections directly using matrix models is emphasized and references added, to appear in JHE

QTL mapping of agronomic traits in tef [Eragrostis tef (Zucc) Trotter]

<p>Abstract</p> <p>Background</p> <p>Tef [<it>Eragrostis tef </it>(Zucc.) Trotter] is the major cereal crop in Ethiopia. Tef is an allotetraploid with a base chromosome number of 10 (2n = 4× = 40) and a genome size of 730 Mbp. The goal of this study was to identify agronomically important quantitative trait loci (QTL) using recombinant inbred lines (RIL) derived from an inter-specific cross between <it>E. tef </it>and <it>E. pilosa </it>(30-5).</p> <p>Results</p> <p>Twenty-two yield-related and morphological traits were assessed across eight different locations in Ethiopia during the growing seasons of 1999 and 2000. Using composite interval mapping and a linkage map incorporating 192 loci, 99 QTLs were identified on 15 of the 21 linkage groups for 19 traits. Twelve QTLs on nine linkage groups were identified for grain yield. Clusters of more than five QTLs for various traits were identified on seven linkage groups. The largest cluster (10 QTLs) was identified on linkage group 8; eight of these QTLs were for yield or yield components, suggesting linkage or pleotrophic effects of loci. There were 15 two-way interactions of loci to detect potential epistasis identified and 75% of the interactions were derived from yield and shoot biomass. Thirty-one percent of the QTLs were observed in multiple environments; two yield QTLs were consistent across all agro-ecology zones. For 29.3% of the QTLs, the alleles from <it>E. pilosa </it>(30-5) had a beneficial effect.</p> <p>Conclusion</p> <p>The extensive QTL data generated for tef in this study will provide a basis for initiating molecular breeding to improve agronomic traits in this staple food crop for the people of Ethiopia.</p

The Role of Environmental Factors in the Etiology of Nonsyndromic Orofacial Clefts

Background: Nonsyndromic orofacial clefts (NSOFCs) represent the most common congenital anomalies in the head and neck region. Multiple factors contribute to the occurrence of this anomaly. The etiology of NSOFCs in the Ethiopian population has not been investigated prior to this study.Aims of the Study: To assess the role of maternal environmental factors in the occurrence of NSOFCs in the Ethiopian Population.Methods: The authors used unmatched case control study design and evaluated the role of environmental factors to the occurrence of NSOFCs in the Ethiopian population. The participants were recruited from the same institution (Yekatit 12 Hospital Medical College). The authors studied 760 mothers (359 mothers of children born with NSOFCs and 401 mothers of children born without any congenital anomalies). Univariate and multivariate logistic regression analyses were used to calculate relative risk by odds ratio and 95% confidence interval.Results: Mothers who gave history of bronchial asthma and mothers who were admitted for threatened abortion had a higher risk of delivering a child with NSOFCS P value=0.013; AOR=0.194, 95% CI [0.053-0.712], P value &lt;0.001; AOR= 0.179, 95% CI [0.091-0.352] respectively. Higher number of children with NSOFCs were born to mothers who were exposed to diagnostic X-ray investigation during early pregnancy than those who were not exposed P value 0.048; AOR=0.375, 95% CI [0.142-0.990].Conclusion: Maternal exposure to diagnostic x-ray, maternal chronic illness like bronchial asthma and threatened abortion were found to be associated with the occurrence of NSOFCS in the studied population.</p

Visceral leishmaniasis patients display altered composition and maturity of neutrophils as well as impaired neutrophil effector functions

Immunologically, active visceral leishmaniasis (VL) is characterised by profound immunosuppression, severe systemic inflammatory responses and an impaired capacity to control parasite replication. Neutrophils are highly versatile cells, which play a crucial role in the induction as well as the resolution of inflammation, the control of pathogen replication and the regulation of immune responses. Neutrophil functions have been investigated in human cutaneous leishmaniasis, however, their role in human visceral leishmaniasis is poorly understood. In the present study we evaluated the activation status and effector functions of neutrophils in patients with active VL and after successful anti-leishmanial treatment. Our results show that neutrophils are highly activated and have degranulated; high levels of arginase, myeloperoxidase and elastase, all contained in neutrophils’ granules, were found in the plasma of VL patients. In addition, we show that a large proportion of these cells are immature. We also analysed effector functions of neutrophils that are essential for pathogen clearance and show that neutrophils have an impaired capacity to release neutrophil extracellular traps, produce reactive oxygen species and phagocytose bacterial particles, but not Leishmania parasites. Our results suggest that impaired effector functions, increased activation and immaturity of neutrophils play a key role in the pathogenesis of VL

Dietary selenium intake among Ethiopian children in areas known for selenium spatial variability

Introduction: There is spatial variability of selenium (Se) in soil and crops in Ethiopia. We assessed the Se content of food items, breast milk, and urine among infants in Ethiopia from two areas with contrasting Se concentrations in soils. Methods: Dietary Se intakes among children (6–23 months) were evaluated using a weighed food record on two non-consecutive days. Also, spot urine samples from children and breast milk samples from their mothers were collected to determine Se concentration. Selenium concentrations in the samples were analyzed using an inductively coupled plasma mass spectrometer (ICP-MS). Results: Injera (prepared from teff and mixtures of other cereals) with a legume-based stew were the most frequently consumed foods by the children in both areas, followed by pasta. Overall, the Se concentration (mean ± SD) of food items, breast milk (12.2 ± 3.9 μg/L vs. 3.39 ± 1.5 μg/L), and urine samples (22.5 ± 11.5 μg/L vs. 3.0 ± 1.9 μg/L) from East Amhara were significantly higher than the corresponding samples from West Amhara (p < 0.001). The total Se intakes by the study children from East Amhara and West Amhara were 30.2 [IQ 25%, 14.2; IQ 75%, 54.1] and 7.4 [IQR 25%, 4.2; IQ 75%, 10.6] μg day–1, respectively; 31.5% of children from East Amhara and 92% of children from West Amhara were at risk of inadequate Se intakes. Urinary Se excretion accounted for 53 and 39% of daily dietary Se intake in East Amhara and West Amhara, respectively. Dietary Se intake was positively correlated with urinary Se excretion in East Amhara (r = 0.56; p < 0.001) but not among samples from West Amhara (r = 0.16; p ≥ 0.05), suggesting greater physiological Se conservation in a state of deficiency. Conclusion: There is spatial variability of Se in foods, breast milk, and urine in Ethiopia, suggesting the need for implementation of targeted agronomic interventions that enhance Se concentrations in the edible portion of plant foods