A note on the computation of geometrically defined relative velocities

We discuss some aspects about the computation of kinematic, spectroscopic, Fermi and astrometric relative velocities that are geometrically defined in general relativity. Mainly, we state that kinematic and spectroscopic relative velocities only depend on the 4-velocities of the observer and the test particle, unlike Fermi and astrometric relative velocities, that also depend on the acceleration of the observer and the corresponding relative position of the test particle, but only at the event of observation and not around it, as it would be deduced, in principle, from the definition of these velocities. Finally, we propose an open problem in general relativity that consists on finding intrinsic expressions for Fermi and astrometric relative velocities avoiding terms that involve the evolution of the relative position of the test particle. For this purpose, the proofs given in this paper can serve as inspiration.Comment: 8 pages, 2 figure

Glycemic response of poultries in different feeding systems

The management of poultry feed is an important welfare promoter and the glycemic index a noninvasive evaluation. The aim was to evaluate the glycemic response of broiler breeders in restricted feeding system, and broilers receiving ad libitum feeding. Two experiments were carried out: I) 39-week-oldbroiler breeders, fed with three sources of fiber, in a completely randomized design in factorial scheme (3 fiber diets x 7 collection periods); and II) broilers, 42 days old, housed in different light systems, in a completely randomized design in factorial design (2 sexes x 2 lighting conditions x 13 collection periods). Blood glucose levels were measured at random collecting one blood drop from foot, with three replicates in each condition and treatment. In broiler breeder different fiber sources had no effect on glycemia, but the period affected circulating glucose levels, presenting a minimum of 184.3 mg dL -1 before feed and, a maximum of 242.5 mg dL -1 four hours after feeding. In broilers, there was a significant effect in glycemia for collection period and for sex, and interaction between lighting conditions and collection period. Further studies are needed to establish reference values to compare blood glucose levels in poultry.41

Local boron doping quantification in homoepitaxial diamond structures

The capability of transmission electronmicroscopy (TEM) using the high angle annular dark fieldmode (HAADF,also labelled Z-contrast) to quantify boron concentration, in the high doping range between 1019cm−3 and 1021cm−3, is demonstrated. Thanks to the large relative variation of atomic number Z between carbon and boron, doping concentration maps and profiles are obtained with a nanometer-scale resolution. A novel numerical simulation procedure allows the boron concentration quantification and demonstrates the high sensitivity and spatial resolution of the technique.4 page

Interface optical phonons in spheroidal dots: Raman selection rules

The contribution of interface phonons to the first order Raman scattering in nanocrystals with non spherical geometry is analyzed. Interface optical phonons in the spheroidal geometry are discussed and the corresponding Frohlich-like electron-phonon interaction is reported in the framework of the dielectric continuum approach. It is shown that the interface phonon modes are strongly dependent on the nanocrystal geometry, particularly on the ellipsoid's semi-axis ratio. The new Raman selection rules have revealed that solely interface phonon modes with even angular momentum are allowed to contribute to the first order phonon-assisted scattering of light. On this basis we are able to give an explanation for the observed low frequency shoulders present in the Raman cross-section of several II-VI semiconductor nanostructures.Comment: 8 pages, 2 figure

L-Dopa modulates functional connectivity in striatal cognitive and motor networks: A double-blind placebo-controlled study

Functional connectivity (FC) analyses of resting-state fMRI data allow for the mapping of large-scale functional networks, and provide a novel means of examining the impact of dopaminergic challenge. Here, using a double-blind, placebo-controlled design, we examined the effect of L-dopa, a dopamine precursor, on striatal resting-state FC in 19 healthy young adults. We examined the FC of 6 striatal regions of interest (ROIs) previously shown to elicit networks known to be associated with motivational, cognitive and motor subdivisions of the caudate and putamen (Di Martino et al., 2008). In addition to replicating the previously demonstrated patterns of striatal FC, we observed robust effects of L-dopa. Specifically, L-dopa increased FC in motor pathways connecting the putamen ROIs with the cerebellum and brainstem. Although L-dopa also increased FC between the inferior ventral striatum and ventrolateral prefrontal cortex, it disrupted ventral striatal and dorsal caudate FC with the default mode network. These alterations in FC are consistent with studies that have demonstrated dopaminergic modulation of cognitive and motor striatal networks in healthy participants. Recent studies have demonstrated altered resting state FC in several conditions believed to be characterized by abnormal dopaminergic neurotransmission. Our findings suggest that the application of similar experimental pharmacological manipulations in such populations may further our understanding of the role of dopaminergic neurotransmission in those conditions

Study of Counting Characteristics of Porous Radiation Detectors

This paper presents the development of a new technology of registration of ionizing radiation and a new type of detectors - single-cathode multiwire porous detector with neither a gaseous nor semiconductor, but a porous dielectric substance, e.g., CsI, being used as working medium. It is shown that the performance of the multiwire porous detector is stable, ensuring highly efficient detection of both heavily ionizing particles and soft X-rays with a spatial resolution better than $\pm 60\mu m$. The continuous stable performance opens up new perspectives for using porous detectors in research as well as medicine. The obtained data are basic for the development of the theory of the phenomenon of electrons' drift and multiplication in porous dielectrics under the action of a strong external electric field.Comment: 43

Analysis of Two-Body Decays of Charmed Baryons Using the Quark-Diagram Scheme

We give a general formulation of the quark-diagram scheme for the nonleptonic weak decays of baryons. We apply it to all the decays of the antitriplet and sextet charmed baryons and express their decay amplitudes in terms of the quark-diagram amplitudes. We have also given parametrizations for the effects of final-state interactions. For SU(3) violation effects, we only parametrize those in the horizontal $W$-loop quark diagrams whose contributions are solely due to SU(3)-violation effects. In the absence of all these effects, there are many relations among various decay modes. Some of the relations are valid even in the presence of final-state interactions when each decay amplitude in the relation contains only a single phase shift. All these relations provide useful frameworks to compare with future experiments and to find out the effects of final-state interactions and SU(3) symmetry violations.Comment: 28 pages, 20 Tables in landscape form, 4 figures. Main changes are: (i) some errors in the Tables and in the relations between the quark-diagram amplitudes of this paper and those of Ref.[10] are corrected, (ii) improvements are made in the presentation so that comparisons with previous works and what have been done to include SU(3) breaking and final-state interactions are more clearly stated; to appear in the Physical Review

Atenolol versus losartan in children and young adults with Marfan's syndrome

BACKGROUND : Aortic-root dissection is the leading cause of death in Marfan's syndrome. Studies suggest that with regard to slowing aortic-root enlargement, losartan may be more effective than beta-blockers, the current standard therapy in most centers. METHODS : We conducted a randomized trial comparing losartan with atenolol in children and young adults with Marfan's syndrome. The primary outcome was the rate of aortic-root enlargement, expressed as the change in the maximum aortic-root-diameter z score indexed to body-surface area (hereafter, aortic-root z score) over a 3-year period. Secondary outcomes included the rate of change in the absolute diameter of the aortic root; the rate of change in aortic regurgitation; the time to aortic dissection, aortic-root surgery, or death; somatic growth; and the incidence of adverse events. RESULTS : From January 2007 through February 2011, a total of 21 clinical centers enrolled 608 participants, 6 months to 25 years of age (mean [+/- SD] age, 11.5 +/- 6.5 years in the atenolol group and 11.0 +/- 6.2 years in the losartan group), who had an aorticroot z score greater than 3.0. The baseline-adjusted rate of change (+/- SE) in the aortic-root z score did not differ significantly between the atenolol group and the losartan group (-0.139 +/- 0.013 and -0.107 +/- 0.013 standard-deviation units per year, respectively; P = 0.08). Both slopes were significantly less than zero, indicating a decrease in the degree of aortic-root dilatation relative to body-surface area with either treatment. The 3-year rates of aortic-root surgery, aortic dissection, death, and a composite of these events did not differ significantly between the two treatment groups. CONCLUSIONS : Among children and young adults with Marfan's syndrome who were randomly assigned to losartan or atenolol, we found no significant difference in the rate of aorticroot dilatation between the two treatment groups over a 3-year period