Entropy considerations in constraining the mSUGRA parameter space

We explore the use of two criteria to constraint the allowed parameter space in mSUGRA models. Both criteria are based in the calculation of the present density of neutralinos as dark matter in the Universe. The first one is the usual ``abundance'' criterion which is used to calculate the relic density after the ``freeze-out'' era. To compute the relic density we used the numerical public code micrOMEGAs. The second criterion applies the microcanonical definition of entropy to a weakly interacting and self-gravitating gas evaluating then the change in the entropy per particle of this gas between the ``freeze-out'' era and present day virialized structures. An ``entropy-consistency'' criterion emerges by comparing theoretical and empirical estimates of this entropy. The main objective of our work is to determine for which regions of the parameter space in the mSUGRA model are both criteria consistent with the 2$\sigma$ bounds according to WMAP for the relic density: $0.0945<\Omega_{CDM}h^2<0.1287$. As a first result, we found that for $A_0=0$, sgn$\mu=+$, small values of tan$\beta$ are not favored; only for tan$\beta\simeq50$ are both criteria significantly consistent.Comment: 5 pages, 1 figure. To appear in the Proceedings of X Mexican Workshop on Particles and Fields, Morelia Michoac\'an, M\'exico, November 7-12, 200

The Many Harms of Forced Marriage: Insights for Law from Ethnography in Northern Uganda

Harnessing an interdisciplinary framework that merges elements of law and social science, this article aims to recast the crime of forced marriage, and thereby enhance accountability, in light of knowledge acquired through ethnographic fieldwork in northern Uganda. More specifically, we draw upon the perspectives and experiences of 20 men who were bush husbands in the Lord’s Resistance Army (LRA). These men were abducted by the LRA between the ages of 10 and 38 and spent between 6 and 24 years in captivity. During their time in the LRA, these men became ‘bush husbands’ with each man fathering between 1 and 11 children. In-depth interviews explored men’s perspectives and experiences related to sexual violence, forced marriage, parenthood and post-war accountability. The data reveal the complexity of men’s self-identified positions not only as high-ranking members of the LRA, but also as captives of the LRA, as victims of forced marriage, as perpetrators, and as caring fathers and husbands. These findings nuance extant understandings and assumptions of men and masculinities in the context of forced marriage. Drawing from these findings, we articulate several key implications for law — notably, that law acknowledges the harms that the crime of forced marriage and sexual violence affects and imposes on all implicated parties, including boys, girls, men, and women

Considerations on the genus Schizachyrium (Poaceae:Andropogoneae) in Central America and West Indies, and confirmation of the occurrence of S. glaziovii

Schizachyrium (Poaceae-Andropogoneae) includes ca. 60 species, 10 of them previously cited for Central America and 13 for West Indies. The confirmation of the occurrence of Schizachyrium glaziovii in these regions is reported here, expanding its northern limit of distribution to Guatemala and Belize. The species was previously accepted only for South America. We provide a description of the species, a distribution map, and a key to distinguish it from S. microstachyum and S. condensatum, species whose circumscriptions are confused in floras of Central America and West Indies. Taxonomic comments, illustrations of the type materials and images of the three species are also provided. A revised synonymy of S. glaziovii is presented and a lectotype for Andropogon condensatus subsp. elongatus (a synonym of Schizachyrium glaziovii) is designated here.Fil: Peichoto, Myriam Carolina. Consejo Nacional de Investigaciones Científicas y Técnicas. Centro Científico Tecnológico Nordeste. Instituto de Botánica del Nordeste (i); ArgentinaFil: Welker, Cassiano A. Dorneles. Universidade Federal Do Rio Grande Do Sul; Brasi

Regulation of plasmid-encoded isoprene metabolism in Rhodococcus, a representative of an important link in the global isoprene cycle

Emissions of biogenic volatile organic compounds (VOCs) form an important part of the global carbon cycle, comprising a significant proportion of net ecosystem productivity. They impact atmospheric chemistry and contribute directly and indirectly to greenhouse gases. Isoprene, emitted largely from plants, comprises one third of total VOCs, yet in contrast to methane, which is released in similar quantities, we know little of its biodegradation. Here, we report the genome of an isoprene degrading isolate, Rhodococcus sp. AD45, and, using mutagenesis shows that a plasmid-encoded soluble di-iron centre isoprene monooxygenase (IsoMO) is essential for isoprene metabolism. Using RNA sequencing (RNAseq) to analyse cells exposed to isoprene or epoxyisoprene in a substrate-switch time-course experiment, we show that transcripts from 22 contiguous genes, including those encoding IsoMO, were highly upregulated, becoming among the most abundant in the cell and comprising over 25% of the entire transcriptome. Analysis of gene transcription in the wild type and an IsoMO-disrupted mutant strain showed that epoxyisoprene, or a subsequent product of isoprene metabolism, rather than isoprene itself, was the inducing molecule. We provide a foundation of molecular data for future research on the environmental biological consumption of this important, climate-active compound

Tropomyosin Flexural Rigidity and Single Ca2+ Regulatory Unit Dynamics: Implications for Cooperative Regulation of Cardiac Muscle Contraction and Cardiomyocyte Hypertrophy

Striated muscle contraction is regulated by dynamic and cooperative interactions among Ca2+, troponin, and tropomyosin on the thin filament. While Ca2+ regulation has been extensively studied, little is known about the dynamics of individual regulatory units and structural changes of individual tropomyosin molecules in relation to their mechanical properties, and how these factors are altered by cardiomyopathy mutations in the Ca2+ regulatory proteins. In this hypothesis paper, we explore how various experimental and analytical approaches could broaden our understanding of the cooperative regulation of cardiac contraction in health and disease