Yang-Baxter deformations of the AdS4×CP3AdS_4\times\mathbb{CP}^3 superstring sigma model

The gravity dual of $\beta$-deformed ABJM theory can be obtained by a TsT transformation of $AdS_4\times\mathbb{CP}^3$. We present a supercoset construction of $\mathbb{CP}^3$ to obtain this gravity dual theory as a Yang-Baxter deformation. This is done by selecting a convenient combination of Cartan generators in order to get an Abelian $r$-matrix satisfying the classical Yang-Baxter equation. Our results provide another illustration of the relation between Abelian $r$-matrices and TsT transformations.Comment: 15 pages; v2: references added; v3: more references added, minor corrections, published versio

The Current Status of the Distribution Range of the Western Pine Beetle, Dendroctonus brevicomis (Curculionidae: Scolytinae) in Northern Mexico

Abstract The distribution range of the western pine beetle Dendroctonus brevicomis LeConte (Coleoptera: Curculionidae) is supported only by scattered records in the northern parts of Mexico, suggesting that its populations may be marginal and rare in this region. In this study, we review the geographical distribution of D. brevicomis in northern Mexico and perform a geometric morphometric analysis of seminal rod shape to evaluate its reliability for identifying this species with respect to other members of the Dendroctonus frontalis Zimmermann (Coleoptera: Curculionidae) complex. Our results provide 30 new records, with 26 distributed in the Sierra Madre Occidental and 4 in the Sierra Madre Oriental. These records extend the known distribution range of D. brevicomis to Durango and Tamaulipas states in northern Mexico. Furthermore, we find high geographic variation in size and shape of the seminal rod, with conspicous differences among individuals from different geographical regions, namely west and east of the Great Basin and between mountain systems in Mexico. Key words: seminal rod shape, geometric morphometry, Dendroctonus frontalis comple

El ocio: apuntes sociohistóricos y desacatos teóricos para su estudio en Puerto Rico.

Leisure studies have been recognized as a field of knowledge since the decade of the nineties. However, in Puerto Rico, research on leisure has been at best sporadic. As a term, “leisure” appears quite frequently in public discussions in a demeaning way, as a synonym for vagrancy, or worse. It is also use indiscriminately as “free time”. One of the objectives of our work is to clarify these terms, making proper distinctions between leisure and the different types of activities often conflated with it. It is a challenge for the social sciences to determine what all of the activities that we identified as leisure may have in common. A challenge that it is not becoming any easier, given the current changes in the labor market, new communication technologies, and the emergence of theoretical perspectives arising from the experiences of transmodern societies. Hence, there is a pressing need to continue elaborating and examining critically known theoretical proposals on leisure. From the three main definitions that traditionally guide leisure - the autonomy of the subject, the experience of pleasure or satisfaction, and the autotelic character of the selected activities, the authors propose an experimental definition of leisure in which the first is considered the defining element. We propose that the enjoyment of leisure comes from the experience of reclaiming a sphere of personal autonomy in a social scenario in which increasing labor precariousness and the intensification of demands on workers results in a greater hetero-conditioning of the subjects in the post-work societies.Los estudios en torno al ocio han sido reconocidos como área de conocimiento desde la década del noventa. Sin embargo, en el caso de Puerto Rico, el ocio como objeto de estudio ha sido tratado de manera muy esporádica. Esto contrasta con el frecuente uso peyorativo que tiene el término y su uso indistinto con conceptos afines como el de tiempo libre. Cualificar estas nociones y distinguirlas es uno de los objetivos de nuestro trabajo. Encontrar lo que podrían tener en común las diversas actividades que pueden categorizarse como ocio sigue siendo un reto teórico para las ciencias sociales y que lejos de simplificarse se hace cada vez más complejo. Los cambios en el mundo del trabajo, las potencialidades de las nuevas tecnologías de comunicación y el surgimiento de perspectivas teóricas que parten de la experiencia de sociedades transmodernas, requieren seguir elaborando y examinando críticamente las propuestas teóricas conocidas. A partir de los tres ejes que tradicionalmente vertebran las definiciones de ocio —la autonomía del sujeto, la experiencia de goce o satisfacción y el carácter autotélico de las actividades seleccionadas– las autoras proponen una definición experimental del ocio en la que el primer elemento se considera definitorio. Proponemos que disfrutar de ocio es poder reclamar para sí un ámbito de autonomía personal en un escenario social de creciente precarización laboral y de intensificación de las demandas sobre los trabajadores/as, cuya consecuencia es el aumento del heterocondicionamiento de los sujetos en las sociedades postrabajo

Fibrin(ogen) engagement of S. aureus promotes the host antimicrobial response and suppression of microbe dissemination following peritoneal infection

The blood-clotting protein fibrin(ogen) plays a critical role in host defense against invading pathogens, particularly against peritoneal infection by the Gram-positive microbe Staphylococcus aureus. Here, we tested the hypothesis that direct binding between fibrin(ogen) and S. aureus is a component of the primary host antimicrobial response mechanism and prevention of secondary microbe dissemination from the peritoneal cavity. To establish a model system, we showed that fibrinogen isolated from FibγΔ5 mice, which express a mutant form lacking the final 5 amino acids of the fibrinogen γ chain (termed fibrinogenγΔ5), did not support S. aureus adherence when immobilized and clumping when in suspension. In contrast, purified wildtype fibrinogen supported robust adhesion and clumping that was largely dependent on S. aureus expression of the receptor clumping factor A (ClfA). Following peritoneal infection with S. aureus USA300, FibγΔ5 mice displayed worse survival compared to WT mice coupled to reduced bacterial killing within the peritoneal cavity and increased dissemination of the microbes into circulation and distant organs. The failure of acute bacterial killing, but not enhanced dissemination, was partially recapitulated by mice infected with S. aureus USA300 lacking ClfA. Fibrin polymer formation and coagulation transglutaminase Factor XIII each contributed to killing of the microbes within the peritoneal cavity, but only elimination of polymer formation enhanced systemic dissemination. Host macrophage depletion or selective elimination of the fibrin(ogen) β2-integrin binding motif both compromised local bacterial killing and enhanced S. aureus systemic dissemination, suggesting fibrin polymer formation in and of itself was not sufficient to retain S. aureus within the peritoneal cavity. Collectively, these findings suggest that following peritoneal infection, the binding of S. aureus to stabilized fibrin matrices promotes a local, macrophage-mediated antimicrobial response essential for prevention of microbe dissemination and downstream host mortality

Ciclo hidrológico e microclima.

Parte I - Caracterização física do Cerrado pé-de-gigante e uso das terras na região. Capítulo 4

Ciclo do carbono.

Parte III - As relações entre a vegetação e o meio físico no Cerrado pé-de-gigante. Capítulo 14

Dry and hot: The hydraulic consequences of a climate change–type drought for Amazonian trees

How plants respond physiologically to leaf warming and low water availability may determine how they will perform under future climate change. In 2015 – 2016, an unprecedented drought occurred across Amazonia with record-breaking high temperatures and low soil moisture, offering a unique opportunity to evaluate the performances of Amazonian trees to a severe climatic event. We quantified the responses of leaf water potential, sap velocity, whole-tree hydraulic conductance (Kwt), turgor loss and xylem embolism, during and after the 2015 – 2016 El Niño for five canopy-tree species. Leaf/xylem safety margins (SMs), sap velocity and Kwt showed a sharp drop during warm periods. SMs were negatively correlated with vapour pressure deficit, but had no significant relationship with soil water storage. Based on our calculations of canopy stomatal and xylem resistances, the decrease in sap velocity and Kwt was due to a combination of xylem cavitation and stomatal closure. Our results suggest that warm droughts greatly amplify the degree of trees’ physiological stress and can lead to mortality. Given the extreme nature of the 2015 – 2016 El Niño and that temperatures are predicted to increase, this work can serve as a case study of the possible impact climate warming can have on tropical trees. This article is part of a discussion meeting issue ‘The impact of the 2015/2016 El Niño on the terrestrial tropical carbon cycle: patterns, mechanisms and implications’. © 2018 The Author(s) Published by the Royal Society. All rights reserved

Prevalence of and factors associated with homebound status among adults in urban and rural Spanish populations

BACKGROUND: There is a marked growth in the number of homebound older adults, due mainly to increased life expectancy. Although this group has special characteristics and needs, it has not been properly studied. This study thus aimed to measure the prevalence of homebound status in a community-dwelling population, and its association with both socio-demographic, medical and functional characteristics and the use of health care and social services. METHODS: We used instruments coming under the WHO International Classification of Functioning (ICF) framework to carry out a cross-sectional study on populations aged 50 years and over in the province of Zaragoza (Spain), covering a total of 1622 participants. Persons who reported severe or extreme difficulty in getting out of the house in the last 30 days were deemed to be homebound. We studied associations between homebound status and several relevant variables in a group of 790 subjects who tested positive to the WHODAS-12 disability screening tool. RESULTS: Prevalence of homebound status was 9.8 % (95 % CI: 8.4 to 11.3 %). Homebound participants tended to be older, female and display a lower educational level, a higher number of diseases, poorer cognition and a higher degree of disability. In fully adjusted models including disability as measured with the ICF-Checklist, the associated variables (odds ratios and [95 % confidence intervals]) were: female gender (3.75 [2.10–6.68]); urban population (2.36 [1.30–4.29]); WHODAS-12 disability (6.27 [2.56–15.40]); depressive symptoms (2.95 [1.86–4.68]); moderate pain (2.37 [1.30–4.31] and severe pain (3.03 [1.31–7.01]), as compared to the group with no/mild pain; hospital admissions in the previous 3 months (2.98 [1.25–7.11]); and diabetes (1.87 [1.03–3.41]). Adjustment for ICF-Checklist disability had a notable impact on most associations. CONCLUSIONS: The study shows that homebound status is a common problem in our setting, and that being disabled is its main determinant. Socio-demographic characteristics, barriers and chronic diseases can also be assumed to be playing a role in the onset of this condition, indicating the need for further research, including longitudinal studies on its incidence and associated factors