How does breakup influence the total fusion of 6,7^{6,7}Li at the Coulomb barrier?

Total (complete + incomplete) fusion excitation functions of $^{6,7}$Li on $^{59}$Co and $^{209}$Bi targets around the Coulomb barrier are obtained using a new continuum discretized coupled channel (CDCC) method of calculating fusion. The relative importance of breakup and bound-state structure effects on total fusion is particularly investigated. The effect of breakup on fusion can be observed in the total fusion excitation function. The breakup enhances the total fusion at energies just around the barrier, whereas it hardly affects the total fusion at energies well above the barrier. The difference between the experimental total fusion cross sections for $^{6,7}$Li on $^{59}$Co is notably caused by breakup, but this is not the case for the $^{209}$Bi target.Comment: 9 pages, 9 figures, Submitted to Phys. Rev.

Active galactic nuclei synapses: X-ray versus optical classifications using artificial neural networks

(Abridged) Many classes of active galactic nuclei (AGN) have been defined entirely throughout optical wavelengths while the X-ray spectra have been very useful to investigate their inner regions. However, optical and X-ray results show many discrepancies that have not been fully understood yet. The aim of this paper is to study the "synapses" between the X-ray and optical classifications. For the first time, the new EFLUXER task allowed us to analyse broad band X-ray spectra of emission line nuclei (ELN) without any prior spectral fitting using artificial neural networks (ANNs). Our sample comprises 162 XMM-Newton/pn spectra of 90 local ELN in the Palomar sample. It includes starbursts (SB), transition objects (T2), LINERs (L1.8 and L2), and Seyferts (S1, S1.8, and S2). The ANNs are 90% efficient at classifying the trained classes S1, S1.8, and SB. The S1 and S1.8 classes show a wide range of S1- and S1.8-like components. We suggest that this is related to a large degree of obscuration at X-rays. The S1, S1.8, S2, L1.8, L2/T2/SB-AGN (SB with indications of AGN), and SB classes have similar average X-ray spectra within each class, but these average spectra can be distinguished from class to class. The S2 (L1.8) class is linked to the S1.8 (S1) class with larger SB-like component than the S1.8 (S1) class. The L2, T2, and SB-AGN classes conform a class in the X-rays similar to the S2 class albeit with larger fractions of SB-like component. This SB-like component is the contribution of the star-formation in the host galaxy, which is large when the AGN is weak. An AGN-like component seems to be present in the vast majority of the ELN, attending to the non-negligible fraction of S1-like or S1.8-like component. This trained ANN could be used to infer optical properties from X-ray spectra in surveys like eRosita.Comment: 15 pages, 7 figures, accepted for publication in A&A. Appendix B only in the full version of the paper here: https://dl.dropboxusercontent.com/u/3484086/AGNSynapsis_OGM_online.pd

Discovery of a wide companion near the deuterium burning mass limit in the Upper Scorpius association

We present the discovery of a companion near the deuterium burning mass limit located at a very wide distance, at an angular separation of 4.6+/-0.1 arcsec (projected distance of ~ 670 AU) from UScoCTIO108, a brown dwarf of the very young Upper Scorpius association. Optical and near-infrared photometry and spectroscopy confirm the cool nature of both objects, with spectral types of M7 and M9.5, respectively, and that they are bona fide members of the association, showing low gravity and features of youth. Their masses, estimated from the comparison of their bolometric luminosities and theoretical models for the age range of the association, are 60+/-20 and 14^{+2}_{-8} MJup, respectively. The existence of this object around a brown dwarf at this wide orbit suggests that the companion is unlikely to have formed in a disk based on current planet formation models. Because this system is rather weakly bound, they did not probably form through dynamical ejection of stellar embryos.Comment: 10 pages, including 4 figures and 2 table

Treatment of a Complex Distal Triceps Tendon Rupture With a New Technique: A Case Report

Introduction: The distal triceps tendon rupture is an uncommon injury. The acute treatment is well-defined, but when a delayed diagnosis is made or when a tendon retraction is present the alternatives or reconstruction are limited and sometimes complex. Case Presentation: In this case, we report on a 28-year-old man who presented with a chronic disruption of the distal triceps tendon with a gap of approximately 15 cm. The patient was diagnosed in another center with an inveterate breakage of the distal triceps tendon and was initially treated with an Achilles allograft that was complicated by a wound infection and required more than ten surgeries. Nearly 22 months after the initial trauma, and 12 months after the first surgery, we performed a reconstruction with an Achilles tendon allograft using the new technique of distal attachment. At the 12-month follow-up the patient presented a joint balance from -5º to 110º and presented with no pain. Conclusions: The use of an Achilles tendon allograft provides excellent results in complex distal triceps tendon ruptures. We report the use of a new technique to anchor a distal Achilles allograft

Effect of Tuned Parameters on a LSA MCQ Answering Model

This paper presents the current state of a work in progress, whose objective is to better understand the effects of factors that significantly influence the performance of Latent Semantic Analysis (LSA). A difficult task, which consists in answering (French) biology Multiple Choice Questions, is used to test the semantic properties of the truncated singular space and to study the relative influence of main parameters. A dedicated software has been designed to fine tune the LSA semantic space for the Multiple Choice Questions task. With optimal parameters, the performances of our simple model are quite surprisingly equal or superior to those of 7th and 8th grades students. This indicates that semantic spaces were quite good despite their low dimensions and the small sizes of training data sets. Besides, we present an original entropy global weighting of answers' terms of each question of the Multiple Choice Questions which was necessary to achieve the model's success.Comment: 9 page

The origin of the Acheulean: the 1.7 million-year-old site of FLK West, Olduvai Gorge (Tanzania)

The appearance of the Acheulean is one of the hallmarks of human evolution. It represents the emergence of a complex behavior, expressed in the recurrent manufacture of large-sized tools, with standardized forms, implying more advance forethought and planning by hominins than those required by the precedent Oldowan technology. The earliest known evidence of this technology dates back to c. 1.7 Ma. and is limited to two sites (Kokiselei [Kenya] and Konso [Ethiopia]), both of which lack fauna. The functionality of these earliest Acheulean assemblages remains unknown. Here we present the discovery of another early Acheulean site also dating to c. 1.7 Ma from Olduvai Gorge. This site provides evidence of the earliest steps in developing the Acheulean technology and is the oldest Acheulean site in which stone tools occur spatially and functionally associated with the exploitation of fauna. Simple and elaborate large-cutting tools (LCT) and handaxes co-exist at FLK West, showing that complex cognition was present from the earliest stages of the Acheulean. Here we provide a detailed technological study and evidence of the use of these tools on the butchery and consumption of fauna, probably by early Homo erectus sensu lato

Toward Control? The Prospects and Challenges of Typhoid Conjugate Vaccine Introduction.

With a newly World Health Organization (WHO)-prequalified typhoid conjugate vaccine (TCV), Gavi funding for eligible countries, and a WHO policy recommendation for TCV use, now is the time for countries to introduce TCVs as part of an integrated typhoid control program, particularly in light of the increasing burden of antimicrobial resistance. Continued vaccine development efforts will lead to secure supply of low-cost vaccines, and ongoing vaccine studies will provide critical vaccine performance data and inform optimal deployment strategies, in both routine use and in outbreak settings. TCV programs should include thoughtful communication planning and community engagement to counter vaccine hesitancy

Src kinase activity and SH2 domain regulate the dynamics of Src association with lipid and protein targets

Src functions depend on its association with the plasma membrane and with specific membrane-associated assemblies. Many aspects of these interactions are unclear. We investigated the functions of kinase, SH2, and SH3 domains in Src membrane interactions. We used FRAP beam-size analysis in live cells expressing a series of c-Src–GFP proteins with targeted mutations in specific domains together with biochemical experiments to determine whether the mutants can generate and bind to phosphotyrosyl proteins. Wild-type Src displays lipid-like membrane association, whereas constitutively active Src-Y527F interacts transiently with slower-diffusing membrane-associated proteins. These interactions require Src kinase activity and SH2 binding, but not SH3 binding. Furthermore, overexpression of paxillin, an Src substrate with a high cytoplasmic population, competes with membrane phosphotyrosyl protein targets for binding to activated Src. Our observations indicate that the interactions of Src with lipid and protein targets are dynamic and that the kinase and SH2 domain cooperate in the membrane targeting of Src