Cyclic metric Lie groups

Cyclic metric Lie groups are Lie groups equipped with a left-invariant metric which is in some way far from being biinvariant, in a sense made explicit in terms of Tricerri and Vanhecke's homogeneous structures. The semisimple and solvable cases are studied. We extend to the general case, Kowalski-Tricerri's and Bieszk's classifications of connected and simply-connected unimodular cyclic metric Lie groups for dimensions less than or equal to five

Remote Sensing and GIS Modelling of Roman Roads in South West Britain

This is the final version. Available on open access from Ubiquity Press via the DOI in this recordData availability: The data used in this research are available at: http://hdl.handle.net/10261/310113The recent availability of a systematic airborne LiDAR coverage for England in the scope of the Environment Agency’s ‘National LiDAR Programme’ has enabled the mapping of a new Roman road network system in South West Britain, an area where there was little solid evidence for a system of long-distance roads. To understand the rationale behind their construction, a GIS spatial analysis approach to model movement was developed, which included not just straightforward Least Cost Paths, but also other methods, such as MADO and CMTC, to overcome some of the common limitations of Least Cost Paths and produce a more reliable prediction of the likely layout of the Roman road network in the area. The results indicate that this network privileged the movement of animal-drawn wheel vehicles, avoiding where possible areas subject to flooding risks. This road network is possibly the result of an evolutionary model, integrating pre-existing Prehistoric routeways with Roman military and civilian roads, most of which were probably still in use in Medieval times.European Union Horizon 2020National Lottery Heritage Fun

Almost contact metric 5-manifolds and connections with torsion

We study 5-dimensional Riemannian manifolds that admit an almost contact metric structure. We classify these structures by their intrinsic torsion and review the literature in terms of this scheme. Moreover, we determine necessary and sufficient conditions for the existence of metric connections with vectorial, totally skew-symmetric or traceless cyclic torsion that are compatible with the almost contact metric structure. Finally, we examine explicit examples of almost contact metric 5-manifolds from this perspective.Comment: 29 page

Development of a New Tacaribe Arenavirus Infection Model and Its Use to Explore Antiviral Activity of a Novel Aristeromycin Analog

Background A growing number of arenaviruses can cause a devastating viral hemorrhagic fever (VHF) syndrome. They pose a public health threat as emerging viruses and because of their potential use as bioterror agents. All of the highly pathogenic New World arenaviruses (NWA) phylogenetically segregate into clade B and require maximum biosafety containment facilities for their study. Tacaribe virus (TCRV) is a nonpathogenic member of clade B that is closely related to the VHF arenaviruses at the amino acid level. Despite this relatedness, TCRV lacks the ability to antagonize the host interferon (IFN) response, which likely contributes to its inability to cause disease in animals other than newborn mice. Methodology/Principal Findings Here we describe a new mouse model based on TCRV challenge of AG129 IFN-α/β and -γ receptor-deficient mice. Titration of the virus by intraperitoneal (i.p.) challenge of AG129 mice resulted in an LD50 of ∼100 fifty percent cell culture infectious doses. Virus replication was evident in the serum, liver, lung, spleen, and brain 4–8 days after inoculation. MY-24, an aristeromycin derivative active against TCRV in cell culture at 0.9 µM, administered i.p. once daily for 7 days, offered highly significant (P\u3c0.001) protection against mortality in the AG129 mouse TCRV infection model, without appreciably reducing viral burden. In contrast, in a hamster model of arenaviral hemorrhagic fever based on challenge with clade A Pichinde arenavirus, MY-24 did not offer significant protection against mortality. Conclusions/Significance MY-24 is believed to act as an inhibitor of S-adenosyl-L-homocysteine hydrolase, but our findings suggest that it may ameliorate disease by blunting the effects of the host response that play a role in disease pathogenesis. The new AG129 mouse TCRV infection model provides a safe and cost-effective means to conduct early-stage pre-clinical evaluations of candidate antiviral therapies that target clade B arenaviruses

Frequency and genotypic distribution of GB virus C (GBV-C) among Colombian population with Hepatitis B (HBV) or Hepatitis C (HCV) infection

<p>Abstract</p> <p>Background</p> <p>GB virus C (GBV-C) is an enveloped positive-sense ssRNA virus belonging to the <it>Flaviviridae </it>family. Studies on the genetic variability of the GBV-C reveals the existence of six genotypes: genotype 1 predominates in West Africa, genotype 2 in Europe and America, genotype 3 in Asia, genotype 4 in Southwest Asia, genotype 5 in South Africa and genotype 6 in Indonesia. The aim of this study was to determine the frequency and genotypic distribution of GBV-C in the Colombian population.</p> <p>Methods</p> <p>Two groups were analyzed: i) 408 Colombian blood donors infected with HCV (n = 250) and HBV (n = 158) from Bogotá and ii) 99 indigenous people with HBV infection from Leticia, Amazonas. A fragment of 344 bp from the 5' untranslated region (5' UTR) was amplified by nested RT PCR. Viral sequences were genotyped by phylogenetic analysis using reference sequences from each genotype obtained from GenBank (n = 160). Bayesian phylogenetic analyses were conducted using Markov chain Monte Carlo (MCMC) approach to obtain the MCC tree using BEAST v.1.5.3.</p> <p>Results</p> <p>Among blood donors, from 158 HBsAg positive samples, eight 5.06% (n = 8) were positive for GBV-C and from 250 anti-HCV positive samples, 3.2%(n = 8) were positive for GBV-C. Also, 7.7% (n = 7) GBV-C positive samples were found among indigenous people from Leticia. A phylogenetic analysis revealed the presence of the following GBV-C genotypes among blood donors: 2a (41.6%), 1 (33.3%), 3 (16.6%) and 2b (8.3%). All genotype 1 sequences were found in co-infection with HBV and 4/5 sequences genotype 2a were found in co-infection with HCV. All sequences from indigenous people from Leticia were classified as genotype 3. The presence of GBV-C infection was not correlated with the sex (p = 0.43), age (p = 0.38) or origin (p = 0.17).</p> <p>Conclusions</p> <p>It was found a high frequency of GBV-C genotype 1 and 2 in blood donors. The presence of genotype 3 in indigenous population was previously reported from Santa Marta region in Colombia and in native people from Venezuela and Bolivia. This fact may be correlated to the ancient movements of Asian people to South America a long time ago.</p

Biological flora of Central europe: Baldellia ranunculoides (Alismataceae)

Baldellia ranunculoides (L.) Parl. (Alismataceae) is a taxonomically problematic aquatic plant with an historically ill-defined distribution and global conservation status. This paper finds morphological, ecological and molecular evidence for two distinct taxa, probably best described as subspecies: (1) B. ranunculoides subsp. ranunculoides and (2) B. ranunculoides subsp. repens and provides detailed distribution data on their overlapping range, in different habitats, across the cool, high rainfall areas of western Europe and west Mediterranean. The two subspecies are amongst the relatively large number of threatened European and north Africa aquatic plants and this paper provides a systematic review of their relative conservation pressures and management needs, with particular emphasis on the status of both taxa in central Europe. Other observations indicate probable evolutionary relationships within B. ranunculoides s.l. and its associated taxa and the review points out where these and other research topics could potentially be pursued

El fragmento y la detención. Literatura y cine en Juan José Saer

What is the relationship between modern literature and cinema? What kind of films do writers have in mind? What does writing take from images? Strongly influenced by narrative innovations of modern literature, the work of Juan Jose Saer hasn&rsquo;t escaped to the magnetic appeal of cinema. But although he uses cinematographic techniques to break up with classical narration in literature, he never adopts the model of dominant cinema. On the contrary, he takes advantage of the idea of fragmentation and stop motion (that constitute the basis of films) to give birth to a new form of literature. But if Saer uses cinema in its negative form, then how to produce film adaptations from his literary work? How is it possible to transform words into images without falling in a mere illustration that would eliminate every tension and would neutralize every contrast? This essay connects literature and cinema in order to reflect on the ways Saer&rsquo;s writing has used film devices and the ways in which films have adapted their novels.¿Cuál es la relación que la literatura moderna establece con el cine? ¿En qué tipo de películas piensan los escritores? ¿Qué cosas toman los textos de los films? Fuertemente marcada por las innovaciones en el estatuto de la narración, la obra de Juan José Saer no ha escapado al influjo magnético de lo cinematográfico. Pero aunque utiliza técnicas de los films para poner en cuestión el relato literario clásico, nunca adopta el modelo del cine dominante; más bien, al contrario, aprovecha los recursos de fragmentación y detención que se encuentran en la base de las películas para construir una nueva forma de especificidad literaria. Pero si Saer utiliza al cine en su negatividad, ¿como trabajar, entonces, estos relatos desde las películas? ¿Como transformar las palabras en imágenes sin avenirse a una mera ilustración que elimine todas las fricciones, que suavice todos los contrastes? Este ensayo pone en relación la serie literaria y la cinematográfica para reflexionar sobre los modos en que la obra de Saer ha hecho uso de los dispositivos fílmicos y los modos en que las películas han adaptado sus novelas