Induced Parity-Breaking Term at Finite Chemical Potential and Temparature

We exactly calculated the parity-odd term of the effective action induced by the fermions in 2+1 dimensions at finite chemical potential and finite temperature. It shows that gauge invariance is still respected. A more gerneral class of background configurations is considered. The knowledge of the reduced 1+1 determinant is required in order to draw exact conclusions about the gauge invariance of the parity-odd term in this latter case.Comment: 8 pages, LATEX, no figure

Erratum: Global, regional, and national comparative risk assessment of 84 behavioural, environmental and occupational, and metabolic risks or clusters of risks for 195 countries and territories, 1990–2017: a systematic analysis for the Global Burden of Disease Study 2017

Interpretation: By quantifying levels and trends in exposures to risk factors and the resulting disease burden, this assessment offers insight into where past policy and programme efforts might have been successful and highlights current priorities for public health action. Decreases in behavioural, environmental, and occupational risks have largely offset the effects of population growth and ageing, in relation to trends in absolute burden. Conversely, the combination of increasing metabolic risks and population ageing will probably continue to drive the increasing trends in non-communicable diseases at the global level, which presents both a public health challenge and opportunity. We see considerable spatiotemporal heterogeneity in levels of risk exposure and risk-attributable burden. Although levels of development underlie some of this heterogeneity, O/E ratios show risks for which countries are overperforming or underperforming relative to their level of development. As such, these ratios provide a benchmarking tool to help to focus local decision making. Our findings reinforce the importance of both risk exposure monitoring and epidemiological research to assess causal connections between risks and health outcomes, and they highlight the usefulness of the GBD study in synthesising data to draw comprehensive and robust conclusions that help to inform good policy and strategic health planning

Measurement of D*±, D± and Ds± meson production cross sections in pp collisions at √s=7 TeV with the ATLAS detector

The production of D∗±, D± and D±s charmed mesons has been measured with the ATLAS detector in pp collisions at √s= 7 TeV at the LHC, using data corresponding to an integrated luminosity of 280 nb−1. The charmed mesons have been reconstructed in the range of transverse momentum 3.5 <pT(D) <100 GeV and pseudorapidity |η(D)| <2.1. The differential cross sections as a function of transverse momentum and pseudorapidity were measured for D∗± and D± production. The next-to-leading-order QCD predictions are consistent with the data in the visible kinematic region within the large theoretical uncertainties. Using the visible D cross sections and an extrapolation to the full kinematic phase space, the strangeness-suppression factor in charm fragmentation, the fraction of charged non-strange D mesons produced in a vector state, and the total cross section of charm production at √s= 7 TeV were derived

The impact of feeding supplemental minerals to sheep on the return of micronutrients to pasture via urine and faeces

The form (organic versus inorganic) of minerals (Se, Zn, Cu and Mn), supplemented to sheep (Charolais × Suffolk-Mule (mean weight = 57 ± 2.9 kg) at two European industrial doses, on the return of micronutrients to pasture via nutrient partitioning and composition in sheep urine and faeces was investigated. This gave four treatments in total with 6 animals per treatment (n = 24). The form of the supplemented minerals did not influence the excretory partitioning of micronutrients (Se, Zn, Cu and Mn) between urine and faeces, nor on their concentrations in the excreta. The two doses trialed however, may influence the Se flux in the environment through altering the ratios of Se:P and Se:S ratios in the faeces and Se:S ratio in the urine. Administration of the mineral supplements also improved the retention of P in sheep reducing its excretion via urine. Although the concentrations of readily bioavailable micronutrients in the faeces were not affected by the mineral forms, there were differences in the more recalcitrant fractions of Se, Zn and Cu (as inferred via a sequential extraction) in faeces when different forms of supplemental minerals were offered. The potential impact of these differences on micronutrient flux in pasture requires further investigation

Rapid detection of equine infectious anaemia virus nucleic acid by insulated isothermal RT-PCR assay to aid diagnosis under field conditions

Background: Control of equine infectious anaemia (EIA) currently depends on serological diagnosis of infected equids. However, recently infected equids may not produce detectable anti-EIAV antibodies up to 157 days post infection and so present a high transmission risk. Therefore, direct nucleic acid detection methods are urgently needed to improve EIAV surveillance and management programs in counties where the disease is endemic. Objectives: To evaluate a field-deployable, reverse transcription-insulated isothermal PCR (RT-iiPCR) assay targeting the conserved 50 untranslated region (50 UTR)/exon 1 of the tat gene of EIAV. Study design: The analytical and clinical performance of the newly developed EIAV RT-iiPCR was evaluated by comparison with a EIAV real-time RTPCR (RT-qPCR) along with the AGID test. Methods: Analytical sensitivity was determined using in vitro transcribed RNA containing the target area of the 50 UTR/tat gene and samples from two EIAV-positive horses. Specificity was verified using nine common equine viruses. Clinical performance was evaluated by comparison with EIAV RT-qPCR and AGID using samples derived from 196 inapparent EIAV carrier horses. Results: EIAV RT-iiPCR did not react with other commonly encountered equine viruses and had equivalent sensitivity (95% detection limit of eight genome equivalents), with a concordance of 95.41% to conventional EIAV RT-qPCR. However, the RT-qPCR and RT-iiPCR had sensitivities of 43.75 and 50.00%, respectively, when compared to the AGID test. Main limitations: Low viral loads commonly encountered in inapparent EIAV carriers may limit the diagnostic sensitivity of RT-PCR-based tests. Conclusions: Although EIAV RT-iiPCR is not sufficiently sensitive to replace the current AGID test, it can augment control efforts by identifying recently exposed or “serologically silent” equids, particularly as the latter often represent a significant transmission risk because of high viral loads. Furthermore, the relatively low cost and field-deployable design enable utilisation of EIAV RT-iiPCR even in remote regions.Instituto de VirologíaFil: Cook, R.F. Louisiana State University. School of Veterinary Medicine. Louisiana Animal Disease Diagnostic Laboratory and Department of Pathobiological Sciences; Estados UnidosFil: Barrandeguy, Maria Edith. Instituto Nacional de Tecnología Agropecuaria (INTA). Instituto de Virología; Argentina. Universidad del Salvador. Escuela de Veterinaria. Cátedra de Enfermedades Infecciosas; ArgentinaFil: Lee, Pei-Yu Alison. GeneReach USA, Lexington; Estados UnidosFil: Tsai, Chuan-Fu. GeneReach USA, Lexington; Estados UnidosFil: Shen, Yu-Han. GeneReach USA, Lexington; Estados UnidosFil: Tsai, Yun-Long. GeneReach USA, Lexington; Estados UnidosFil: Chang, Hsiao-Fen G. GeneReach USA, Lexington; Estados UnidosFil: Wang, Hwa-Tang Thomas. GeneReach USA, Lexington; Estados UnidosFil: Balasuriya, Udeni B.R. Louisiana State University. School of Veterinary Medicine. Louisiana Animal Disease Diagnostic Laboratory and Department of Pathobiological Sciences; Estados Unido