On-site detection of equid alphaherpesvirus 3 in perineal and genital swabs of mares and stallions

Equine coital exanthema (ECE) is an infectious, venereally transmitted muco-cutaneous disease affecting mares and stallions, caused by equid alphaherpesvirus 3 (EHV3). Diagnostic tools for rapid identification of EHV3 are of primary importance to diminish the risk of EHV3 dissemination at the time of breeding. In the last years, it has been shown that the performance of the insulated-isothermal polymerase chain reaction (iiPCR) is comparable to virus isolation, nested PCR and real-time PCR (qPCR) in detecting pathogens of various animal species. Analytical sensitivity and specificity of the iiPCR were compared with a qPCR, using a plasmid containing the target region of the EHV3 glycoprotein G gene and an Argentinian EHV3 isolate (E/9283/07 C3A). In order to evaluate the diagnostic performance of the iiPCR, nucleic acids of 85 perineal and genital swabs (PGS) of mares and stallions were extracted by tacoTM mini and tested by both techniques. EHV3 was detected in 46 and 45 of the 85 PGS by the iiPCR and qPCR, respectively. There was almost perfect agreement between the two diagnostic methods (98.82%; 95% CI: 95.03–100%; κ = 0.98). The iiPCR had a limit of detection of 95.00% at 6 genome equivalents per reaction and a detection endpoint for viral DNA comparable to that of the qPCR, and did not react with six non-targeted equine pathogens. The iiPCR represents a sensitive and specific method for the rapid on-site diagnosis of EHV3 infection. Its routinely implementation in breeding facilities, and artificial insemination and embryo transfer centers, will contribute to prevent the dissemination of this venereal, highly contagious disease in horses.Fil: Vissani, María Aldana. Consejo Nacional de Investigaciones Científicas y Técnicas; Argentina. Instituto Nacional de Tecnología Agropecuaria; ArgentinaFil: Tordoya, Maria Silvia. Instituto Nacional de Tecnología Agropecuaria; ArgentinaFil: Tsai, Y.-L.. GeneReach; Estados UnidosFil: Lee, P.-Y.A.. GeneReach; Estados UnidosFil: Shen, Y.-H.. GeneReach; Estados UnidosFil: Lee, F.-C.. GeneReach; Estados UnidosFil: Wang, H.-T.T.. GeneReach; Estados UnidosFil: Parreño, Gladys Viviana. Instituto Nacional de Tecnología Agropecuaria; Argentina. Consejo Nacional de Investigaciones Científicas y Técnicas; ArgentinaFil: Barrandeguy, María Edith. Instituto Nacional de Tecnología Agropecuaria; Argentina. Universidad del Salvador. Escuela de Veterinaria; Argentin

The BES f_0(1810): a new glueball candidate

We analyze the f_0(1810) state recently observed by the BES collaboration via radiative J/\psi decay to a resonant \phi\omega spectrum and confront it with DM2 data and glueball theory. The DM2 group only measured \omega\omega decays and reported a pseudoscalar but no scalar resonance in this mass region. A rescattering mechanism from the open flavored KKbar decay channel is considered to explain why the resonance is only seen in the flavor asymmetric \omega\phi branch along with a discussion of positive C parity charmonia decays to strengthen the case for preferred open flavor glueball decays. We also calculate the total glueball decay width to be roughly 100 MeV, in agreement with the narrow, newly found f_0, and smaller than the expected estimate of 200-400 MeV. We conclude that this discovered scalar hadron is a solid glueball candidate and deserves further experimental investigation, especially in the K-Kbar channel. Finally we comment on other, but less likely, possible assignments for this state.Comment: 11 pages, 4 figures. Major substantive additions, including an ab-initio, QCD-based computation of the glueball inclusive decay width, evaluation of final state effects, and enhanced discussion of several alternative possibilities. Our conclusions are unchanged: the BES f_0(1810) is a promising glueball candidat

Hormone factors play a favorable role in female head and neck cancer risk.

Due to lower female incidence, estimates of exogenous and endogenous hormonal factors in head and neck cancers (HNCs, comprising cancers of the oral cavity, oropharynx, hypopharynx, and larynx) among women have been inconsistent and unable to account for key HNC risk factors. We pooled data from 11 studies from Europe, North America, and Japan. Analysis included 1572 HNC female cases and 4343 controls. Pooled odds ratios (ORs) estimates and their 95% confidence intervals (CIs) were calculated using multivariate logistic regression models adjusting for tobacco smoking and alcohol drinking. Lower risk was observed in women who used hormone replacement therapy (HRT) (OR = 0.58; 95% CI: 0.34-0.77). Pregnancy (OR = 0.61; 95% CI: 0.42-0.90) and giving birth (OR = 0.59; 95% CI: 0.38-0.90) at <35 years of age were inversely associated with HNCs. An inverse association with HNC was observed with age at start of HRT use (OR = 0.59; 95% CI: 0.39-0.90) for each additional 10 years and with duration of use (OR = 0.87; 95% CI: 0.76-0.99 for every 3 years). Exogenous female hormone use is associated with a nearly twofold risk reduction in female HNCs. The lower female HNC incidence may, in part, be explained by endogenous and exogenous estrogen exposures

UHECR as Decay Products of Heavy Relics? The Lifetime Problem

The essential features underlying the top-down scenarii for UHECR are discussed, namely, the stability (or lifetime) imposed to the heavy objects (particles) whatever they be: topological and non-topological solitons, X-particles, cosmic defects, microscopic black-holes, fundamental strings. We provide an unified formula for the quantum decay rate of all these objects as well as the particle decays in the standard model. The key point in the top-down scenarii is the necessity to adjust the lifetime of the heavy object to the age of the universe. This ad-hoc requirement needs a very high dimensional operator to govern its decay and/or an extremely small coupling constant. The natural lifetimes of such heavy objects are, however, microscopic times associated to the GUT energy scale (sim 10^{-28} sec. or shorter). It is at this energy scale (by the end of inflation) where they could have been abundantly formed in the early universe and it seems natural that they decayed shortly after being formed.Comment: 11 pages, LaTex, no figures, updated versio

Density-functional embedding using a plane-wave basis

The constrained electron density method of embedding a Kohn-Sham system in a substrate system (first described by P. Cortona, Phys. Rev. B {\bf 44}, 8454 (1991) and T.A. Wesolowski and A. Warshel, J. Phys. Chem {\bf 97}, 8050 (1993)) is applied with a plane-wave basis and both local and non-local pseudopotentials. This method divides the electron density of the system into substrate and embedded electron densities, the sum of which is the electron density of the system of interest. Coupling between the substrate and embedded systems is achieved via approximate kinetic energy functionals. Bulk aluminium is examined as a test case for which there is a strong interaction between the substrate and embedded systems. A number of approximations to the kinetic-energy functional, both semi-local and non-local, are investigated. It is found that Kohn-Sham results can be well reproduced using a non-local kinetic energy functional, with the total energy accurate to better than 0.1 eV per atom and good agreement between the electron densities.Comment: 11 pages, 4 figure

Coherent spin valve phenomena and electrical spin injection in ferromagnetic/semiconductor/ferromagnetic junctions

Coherent quantum transport in ferromagnetic/ semiconductor/ ferromagnetic junctions is studied theoretically within the Landauer framework of ballistic transport. We show that quantum coherence can have unexpected implications for spin injection and that some intuitive spintronic concepts which are founded in semi-classical physics no longer apply: A quantum spin-valve (QSV) effect occurs even in the absence of a net spin polarized current flowing through the device, unlike in the classical regime. The converse effect also arises, i.e. a zero spin-valve signal for a non-vanishing spin-current. We introduce new criteria useful for analyzing quantum and classical spin transport phenomena and the relationships between them. The effects on QSV behavior of spin-dependent electron transmission at the interfaces, interface Schottky barriers, Rashba spin-orbit coupling and temperature, are systematically investigated. While the signature of the QSV is found to be sensitive to temperature, interestingly, that of its converse is not. We argue that the QSV phenomenon can have important implications for the interpretation of spin-injection in quantum spintronic experiments with spin-valve geometries.Comment: 15 pages including 11 figures. To appear in PR

Strong decays Bs0→BsπB_{s0} \to B_s \pi and Bs1→Bs∗πB_{s1} \to B^*_s \pi with light-cone QCD sum rules

In this article, we calculate the strong coupling constants $g_{B_{s0} B_s \eta}$ and $g_{B_{s1} B^*_s \eta}$ with the light-cone QCD sum rules. Then we take into account the small $\eta-\pi^0$ transition matrix according to Dashen's theorem, and obtain the small decay widths for the isospin violation processes $B_{s0}\to B_s\eta\to B_s\pi^0$ and $B_{s1}\to B_s^*\eta\to B_s^*\pi^0$. We can search the strange-bottomed $(0^+,1^+)$ mesons $B_{s0}$ and $B_{s1}$ in the invariant $B_s \pi^0$ and $B^*_s \pi^0$ mass distributions respectively.Comment: 15 pages, 2 figures, revised versio

On the contact detection for contact-impact analysis in multibody systems

One of the most important and complex parts of the simulation of multibody systems with contact-impact involves the detection of the precise instant of impact. In general, the periods of contact are very small and, therefore, the selection of the time step for the integration of the time derivatives of the state variables plays a crucial role in the dynamics of multibody systems. The conservative approach is to use very small time steps throughout the analysis. However, this solution is not efficient from the computational view point. When variable time step integration algorithms are used and the pre-impact dynamics does not involve high-frequencies the integration algorithms may use larger time steps and the contact between two surfaces may start with initial penetrations that are artificially high. This fact leads either to a stall of the integration algorithm or to contact forces that are physically impossible which, in turn, lead to post-impact dynamics that is unrelated to the physical problem. The main purpose of this work is to present a general and comprehensive approach to automatically adjust the time step, in variable time step integration algorithms, in the vicinity of contact of multibody systems. The proposed methodology ensures that for any impact in a multibody system the time step of the integration is such that any initial penetration is below any prescribed threshold. In the case of the start of contact, and after a time step is complete, the numerical error control of the selected integration algorithm is forced to handle the physical criteria to accept/reject time steps in equal terms with the numerical error control that it normally uses. The main features of this approach are the simplicity of its computational implementation, its good computational efficiency and its ability to deal with the transitions between non contact and contact situations in multibody dynamics. A demonstration case provides the results that support the discussion and show the validity of the proposed methodology.Fundação para a Ciência e a Tecnologia (FCT

Light-cone QCD Sum Rules for the Λ\Lambda Baryon Electromagnetic Form Factors and its magnetic moment

We present the light-cone QCD sum rules up to twist 6 for the electromagnetic form factors of the $\Lambda$ baryon. To estimate the magnetic moment of the baryon, the magnetic form factor is fitted by the dipole formula. The numerical value of our estimation is $\mu_\Lambda=-(0.64\pm0.04)\mu_N$, which is in accordance with the experimental data and the existing theoretical results. We find that it is twist 4 but not the leading twist distribution amplitudes that dominate the results.Comment: 13 page, 7 figures, accepted for publication in Euro. Phys. J.