Early activation of the interleukin-23-17 axis in a murine model of oropharyngeal candidiasis

P>Candida albicans is an oral commensal yeast that causes oropharyngeal candidiasis (OPC) in immunocompromised individuals. The immunological pathways involved in OPC have been revisited after the interleukin-17 (IL-17) pathway was implicated in fungal immunity. We studied immediate (< 24 h) and adaptive (3-6 day) IL-12 and IL-23-17 pathway activation in naive p40-/- mice, which lack IL-12 and IL-23 and develop severe, chronic OPC upon oral inoculation with C. albicans. Macrophages from p40-/- mice were less efficient than C57BL/6J controls at killing C. albicans in vitro but very low numbers in the oral mucosae of infected C57BL/6J mice suggest that they are not critical in vivo, at least in this strain. Migration of macrophages to regional lymph nodes of infected p40-/- mice was impaired; however, dendritic cell migration was not affected. Recombinant IL-12 therapy provided only temporary relief from OPC, suggesting that IL-23 is required for full protection. In C57BL/6J mice, but not p40-/- mice, messenger RNAs encoding IL-23p19 and IL-17 were induced in the oral mucosa within 24 h of infection (6 +/- 0.6 and 12 +/- 2.7-fold). By day 6 of infection in C57BL/6J mice, IL-17A messenger RNA level had increased 5.1 +/- 1.8 and 83 +/- 21-fold in regional lymph nodes and oral tissues respectively. Ablation of p40 was associated with delayed or abrogated induction of IL-17A pathway targets (monocyte chemoattractant protein-1, IL-6 and macrophage inflammatory protein-2), and a lack of organized recruitment of neutrophils to the infected oral mucosa. Overall our data show that the IL-23-17A axis is activated early in the oral mucosae of immunologically naive mice with OPC

Bumpy black holes from spontaneous Lorentz violation

We consider black holes in Lorentz violating theories of massive gravity. We argue that in these theories black hole solutions are no longer universal and exhibit a large number of hairs. If they exist, these hairs probe the singularity inside the black hole providing a window into quantum gravity. The existence of these hairs can be tested by future gravitational wave observatories. We generically expect that the effects we discuss will be larger for the more massive black holes. In the simplest models the strength of the hairs is controlled by the same parameter that sets the mass of the graviton (tensor modes). Then the upper limit on this mass coming from the inferred gravitational radiation emitted by binary pulsars implies that hairs are likely to be suppressed for almost the entire mass range of the super-massive black holes in the centers of galaxies.Comment: 40 pages, 4 figure

Supersymmetric Large Extra Dimensions and the Cosmological Constant Problem

This article briefly summarizes and reviews the motivations for - and the present status of - the proposal that the small size of the observed Dark Energy density can be understood in terms of the dynamical relaxation of two large extra dimensions within a supersymmetric higher-dimensional theory.Comment: Talk presented to Theory Canada I, Vancouver, June 2005. References added in V

Debate sobre o artigo de Narvai et al.

English title: Debate on the paper by Narvai et al.Margareth Crisóstomo Portela & Mauricio Teixeira Leite de Vasconcello

Compilation of parameterized seismogenic sources in Iberia for the SHARE European-scale seismic source model.

Abstract: SHARE (Seismic Hazard Harmonization in Europe) is an EC-funded project (FP7) that aims to evaluate European seismic hazards using an integrated, standardized approach. In the context of SHARE, we are compiling a fully-parameterized active fault database for Iberia and the nearby offshore region. The principal goal of this initiative is for fault sources in the Iberian region to be represented in SHARE and incorporated into the source model that will be used to produce seismic hazard maps at the European scale. The SHARE project relies heavily on input from many regional experts throughout the Euro-Mediterranean region. At the SHARE regional meeting for Iberia, the 2010 Working Group on Iberian Seismogenic Sources (WGISS) was established; these researchers are contributing to this large effort by providing their data to the Iberian regional integrators in a standardized format. The development of the SHARE Iberian active fault database is occurring in parallel with IBERFAULT, another ongoing effort to compile a database of active faults in the Iberian region. The SHARE Iberian active fault database synthesizes a wide range of geological and geophysical observations on active seismogenic sources, and incorporates existing compilations (e.g., Cabral, 1995; Silva et al., 2008), original data contributed directly from researchers, data compiled from the literature, parameters estimated using empirical and analytical relationships, and, where necessary, parameters derived using expert judgment. The Iberian seismogenic source model derived for SHARE will be the first regional-scale source model for Iberia that includes fault data and follows an internationally standardized approach (Basili et al., 2008; 2009). This model can be used in both seismic hazard and risk analyses and will be appropriate for use in Iberian- and European-scale assessments

Caracterização e Análise dos Processos Produtivos em Empresas Agro-Alimentares

Através de um diagnóstico inicial baseado na análise do conhecimento, informação existente, recolha de informação e medição de parâmetros num conjunto de empresas (60) dos subsetores dos produtos cárneos, hortofrutícolas, lácteos e panificação apresenta-se através do presente relatório a caracterização dos processos e atividades produtivas em empresas do setor agroalimentar. Executando uma análise técnica ao estado da arte, através do estudo da organização das atividades produtivas, nível tecnológico e tendências no desenvolvimento de produtos, permite-se de acordo com a informação disponível realizar uma comparação das empresas em análise com a performance da indústria, globalmente, por região ou setor de atividade. Verifica-se através da análise ao presente relatório, quais os fatores que permitem a criação de valor no setor agroindustrial de uma forma contínua para a cadeia de valor organizacional. Por outro lado, entre os diversos pontos a melhorar, considerando as organizações em análise, destaca-se a cultura de inovação e a digitalização dos processos de produção (Indústria 4.0). Pretende-se, com a aplicação prática do conhecimento gerado pelo presente relatório, a criação de ferramentas que constituam soluções para a melhoria da gestão da produção que promovam a introdução de métodos de inovação na cultura e performance organizacional de forma a tornar as organizações do setor competitivas e com impacto nos mercados internacionais

Caracterização e Análise Energética de Empresas Agro-Alimentares

Através de um diagnóstico inicial baseado na análise do conhecimento, informação existente, recolha de informação e medição de parâmetros num conjunto de 60 empresas dos subsetores dos produtos cárneos, hortofrutícolas, lácteos e panificação, o presente relatório apresenta os resultados da caracterização energética em empresas do setor agroalimentar. Executando uma análise técnica ao estado da arte, através do estudo da organização, de acordo com a informação disponível, é realizada uma comparação das empresas em análise com a performance da indústria, globalmente, por região ou setor de atividade. Verifica-se, através da análise ao presente relatório, quais os fatores que permitem a criação de valor no setor agroindustrial de uma forma contínua para a cadeia de valor organizacional. Por outro lado, entre os diversos pontos a melhorar, considerando as organizações em análise, destaca-se a cultura de inovação e a digitalização dos processos de produção (Indústria 4.0). Pretende-se, com a aplicação prática do conhecimento gerado pelo presente relatório, a criação de ferramentas que constituam soluções para a melhoria da gestão da produção que promovam a introdução de métodos de inovação na cultura e performance organizacional de forma a tornar as organizações do setor competitivas e com impacto nos mercados internacionais

Non-Gaussianities from Perturbing Recombination

We approximately compute the bispectrum induced on the CMB temperature by fluctuations in the standard recombination epoch. Of all the second order sources that can induce non-Gaussianity during recombination, we concentrate on those proportional to the perturbation in the free electron density, which is about a factor of 5 larger than the other first order perturbations. This term induces some non-Gaussianity by delaying the time of recombination and by changing the photon diffusion scale. We find that the signal is not scale invariant, peaked on squeezed triangles with the smaller multipole around the scale of the first acoustic peak, and that its size corresponds to an effective f_NL ~ -3.5, which could be marginally detected by Planck if both temperature and polarization are measured.Comment: 37 pages, 13 figures. v2: Corrected algebraic mistake, numerical results marginally affected; added reference

Safety and Health at Work - Assessment tool: Dairy Products

This manual aims to assist the Work Health and Safety Assessment Tool – Dairy Products user, in carrying out a simplified and easy-to-use occupational risk assessment with a view to adopting risk control solutions at workplaces. The design of this tool trie to provide an instrument capable of being used without internet access or specific software installation. In addition to its main purpose, this tool can also be used for workers consultation or training actions, provided as a complement of the other instruments developed within the scope of this project. The tool is organized in three distinct parts (see Figure 1): the first, where a checklist is filled out, from which a graphical overview is obtained, which will give the overview of the level of risk control (second part). This synthesis of results allows the user to immediately visualize the level of control of the main risks and in which will have to make major interventions. Finally, the third part appears, where a report is generated with solutions, particularized for each one of the risks in which the adoption of measures proves necessary.info:eu-repo/semantics/publishedVersio