Weak-Field Gravity of Circular Cosmic Strings

A weak-field solution of Einstein's equations is constructed. It is generated by a circular cosmic string externally supported against collapse. The solution exhibits a conical singularity, and the corresponding deficit angle is the same as for a straight string of the same linear energy density. This confirms the deficit-angle assumption made in the Frolov-Israel-Unruh derivation of the metric describing a string loop at a moment of time symmetry.Comment: 15 page

The challenges experienced by nongovernmental organisations with regard to the roll-out of antiretroviral therapy in KwaZulu-Natal

Background: Successful administration of antiretroviral therapy (ART) requires full adherence to the regimen by the patient. The introduction of ART needs a well-functioning health system with adequately trained health professionals, laboratory support, a constant supply of drugs and social systems to assist with patients’ adherence and to prevent future treatment failure.Objectives: The objective of this study was to explore and describe the challenges experienced by nongovernmental organisations with regard to the roll-out of antiretroviral therapy.Design: A qualitative, exploratory and descriptive study was conducted to determine the challenges experienced by nongovernmental organisations (NGOs) with regard to the roll-out of ART in KwaZulu-Natal. Nine  participants were included purposefully from the NGOs that participated in this study. Data were collected through semi-structured individual interviews. Open coding for analysis was used.Results: The findings revealed four themes: challenges relating to  sustainability, adherence, health infrastructure and behaviour.Conclusion: The results indicate a need for multisectoral collaboration in the roll-out of ART to ensure a concerted, comprehensive and sustainable programme.Keywords: challenges, experience, nongovernmental organisation, antiretroviral therap

Computational Analysis of a Spiral Thermoelectric Nanoantenna for Solar Energy Harvesting Applications

Thermo-electrical nanoantennas have been proposed as an alternative option for conversion solar energy harvesting applications. In this work, the response of a spiral broadband antenna has been obtained from numerical and theoretical simulations perspectives. The results show that this device exhibits a responsivity of 20mV/W under 117W/cm2, for a single-frequency radiation. We discuss strategies for enhanced efficiency

A haploproficient interaction of the transaldolase paralogue NQM1 with the transcription factor VHR1 affects stationary phase survival and oxidative stress resistance.

BACKGROUND: Studying the survival of yeast in stationary phase, known as chronological lifespan, led to the identification of molecular ageing factors conserved from yeast to higher organisms. To identify functional interactions among yeast chronological ageing genes, we conducted a haploproficiency screen on the basis of previously identified long-living mutants. For this, we created a library of heterozygous Saccharomyces cerevisiae double deletion strains and aged them in a competitive manner. RESULTS: Stationary phase survival was prolonged in a double heterozygous mutant of the metabolic enzyme non-quiescent mutant 1 (NQM1), a paralogue to the pentose phosphate pathway enzyme transaldolase (TAL1), and the transcription factor vitamin H response transcription factor 1 (VHR1). We find that cells deleted for the two genes possess increased clonogenicity at late stages of stationary phase survival, but find no indication that the mutations delay initial mortality upon reaching stationary phase, canonically defined as an extension of chronological lifespan. We show that both genes influence the concentration of metabolites of glycolysis and the pentose phosphate pathway, central metabolic players in the ageing process, and affect osmolality of growth media in stationary phase cultures. Moreover, NQM1 is glucose repressed and induced in a VHR1 dependent manner upon caloric restriction, on non-fermentable carbon sources, as well as under osmotic and oxidative stress. Finally, deletion of NQM1 is shown to confer resistance to oxidizing substances. CONCLUSIONS: The transaldolase paralogue NQM1 and the transcription factor VHR1 interact haploproficiently and affect yeast stationary phase survival. The glucose repressed NQM1 gene is induced under various stress conditions, affects stress resistance and this process is dependent on VHR1. While NQM1 appears not to function in the pentose phosphate pathway, the interplay of NQM1 with VHR1 influences the yeast metabolic homeostasis and stress tolerance during stationary phase, processes associated with yeast ageing.We thank the Max Planck Society, Wellcome Trust (RG 093735/Z/10/Z), the ERC (Starting grant 260809), and the Isaac Newton Trust for funding. Markus A Keller is supported by an Erwin Schroedinger postdoctoral fellowship (FWF, Austria, J 3341). Markus Ralser is a Wellcome Trust Research Career Development and Wellcome-Beit Prize fellow.This is the final version of the article. It first appeared from BMC via http://dx.doi.org/10.1186/s12863-015-0171-

Saint-Avit-Sénieur – Haut de Combe-Capelle et Roc de Combe-Capelle

Identifiant de l'opération archéologique : 7225030 Date de l'opération : 2009 (SD) Le site de Combe-Capelle se place en rive droite de la vallée de la Couze en amont de Beaumont-du-Périgord. Au pied d’une falaise de calcaire campanien. Il comporte un ensemble de gisements connus dès la fin du XIXe s. : Combe-Capelle bas, Roc de Combe-Capelle, Haut de Combe-Capelle, plateau de Ruffet. Le gisement de Combe-Capelle bas qui se place dans des dépôts de versant est constitué de deux secteurs. Il a ..

The Artemis European Tools for Estimating the Transport Pollutant Emissions

International engagements as well as impact studies require accurate and agreed methods for assessing pollutant emissions from the road transport. This ARTEMIS project - with 40 European research laboratories and a budget of about 9 M¿ was initiated for the setting-up and improvement of the European inventorying tools for application at different spatial and temporal scales and which should enable objectives comparisons and evaluations. These tools rely on experimental works and integrate most of the European related knowledge. They concern all transports modes in Europe, their pollutant emissions and fuel consumption as well as their characteristics of use. The ARTEMIS project resulted in many important scientific results and in a unique state of the art on the topic in Europe. We recapitulate the main lines of the project and its results: emission measurements, principles of the modelling, street-scale approach based on the definition of traffic situations, and the resulting tools. The tools application requires detailed and reliable data describing the traffic (vehicle fleets and activity, driving conditions, etc.). We highlight this aspect through the ARTEMIS application in Sweden, first country to implement the tools for emissions reporting, and through a road network based approach envisaged in Lille for impact studies at a city level.JRC.H.4-Transport and air qualit

Tamsulosin-induced severe hypotension during general anesthesia: a case report.

Introduction: Tamsulosin, a selective alpha1-adrenergic receptor (alpha1-AR) antagonist, is a widely prescribed first-line agent for benign prostatic hypertrophy (BPH). Its interaction with anesthetic agents has not been described. Case Presentation: We report the case of 54-year-old Asian man undergoing elective left thyroid lobectomy. The only medication the Patient was taking was tamsulosin 0.4 mg for the past year for BPH. He developed persistent hypotension during the maintenance phase of anesthesia while receiving oxygen, nitrous oxide and 1% isoflurane. The hypotension could have been attributable to a possible interaction between inhalational anesthetic and tamsulosin. Conclusion: Vigilance for unexpected hypotension is important in surgical Patients who are treated with selective alpha1-AR blockers. If hypotension occurs, vasopressors that act directly on adrenergic receptors could be more effective

Choice ofy-axis can mislead readers

Using two examples from the non-scientific literature, we show how choice of unit of measure and scaling of y-axis can caused a biased perception of data, a phenomenon we propose to call perception bias. We recommend to pre-specify unit of measure or how it will be determined, whether outcome variables will be shown as absolute or relative/normalized changes, and to typically start y-axis at 0 for ratio variables

934-28 Sensitivity and Specificity of Angiographic Markers for Thrombus: A Prospective Comparison with Angioscopy

The limitations of angiography for the detection of intracoronary thrombus are well recognized. Between November 1991 and July 1994, we performed 402 angioscopy procedures in 225 vessels in 202 patients, with the Image-Cath (Baxter).We performed a prospective study in 190 of these patients, who had an interpretable angioscopy performed just before PTCA to determine the sensitivity and specificity of predetermined angiographic criteria that are considered to be indicative of the presence of intracoronary thrombus. Angiographically verified thrombus was used as the gold standard for comparison. Lesions were classified on angiography (2 orthogonal views) by independent observers. The presence of an intraluminal filling defect, of overhanging edges, of haziness, or of ulceration were noted. The characteristic ulceration was not mutually exclusive of the other 3 characteristics.Of 15 filling defects on angiography 14 (93%) had thrombus on angiography; in the 23 lesions with overhanging edges 19 (83%) had thrombus on angioscopy; in the 27 ulcerated lesions 21 (78%) had angioscopic thrombus; in the 6 lesions that were hazy on angiography 5 had angioscopic thrombus.AngioscopyThrombus+Thrombus-AngiographyThrombus+4512Thrombus-4093In our model, using 5 prespecified angiographic characteristics, angiography had high specificity (89%) but relatively low sensitivity (53%) for the detection of thrombus compared to angioscopy