159 research outputs found
Inversion dynamics in some population of an emerging vector of malaria Anopheles (Celia) subpictus Grassi (Diptera: Culicidae)
The present paper deals with the polytene chromosome inversion polymorphism based genomic characterization of Anopheles subpictus Grassi (Culicidae: Diptera) which has attained the status of an emerging vector of malaria in Srilanka, West Bengal and some coastal parts of India. The inversion data of the present population from Hoshairpur, Punjab (pop.A), India has also been compared with five other populations of this species worked out earlier in this laboratory so as to have a comprehensive assessment of inversion dynamics in this taxon. From the percentage frequency of inversions it was also evident that both rural and urban populations of An. subpictus had nearly similar inversion frequencies. In addition to these observations, it was interesting to note that irrespective of the number of individuals sacrificed, cells studied and the number of aberrations encountered from each population, inversions always constituted 50% of the total mutational index. On the basis of the present comparative data of inversion polymorphism, it is logical to suggest that, similar to “meiotic drive” and “molecular drive” there is also a type of “inversion drive” which constantly changes population genomics to augment competitive fitness of the species. Our recent studies on the r DNA ITS2 sequence variations also suggest this contension
Supersymmetry of Noncompact MQCD-like Membrane Instantons and Heat Kernel Asymptotics
We perform a heat kernel asymptotics analysis of the nonperturbative
superpotential obtained from wrapping of an M2-brane around a supersymmetric
noncompact three-fold embedded in a (noncompact) G_2-manifold as obtained in
[1], the three-fold being the one relevant to domain walls in Witten's MQCD
[2], in the limit of small "zeta", a complex constant that appears in the
Riemann surfaces relevant to defining the boundary conditions for the domain
wall in MQCD. The MQCD-like configuration is interpretable, for small but
non-zero zeta as a noncompact/"large" open membrane instanton, and for
vanishing zeta, as the type IIA D0-brane (for vanishing M-theory cicle radius).
We find that the eta-function Seeley de-Witt coefficients vanish, and we get a
perfect match between the zeta-function Seeley de-Witt coefficients (up to
terms quadratic in zeta) between the Dirac-type operator and one of the two
Laplace-type operators figuring in the superpotential. This is an extremely
strong signature of residual supersymmetry for the nonperturbative
configurations in M-theory considered in this work.Comment: 21 pages, LaTeX; v3: several clarifying remarks added, to appear in
JHE
Temperature dependent characterization of optical fibres for distributed temperature sensing in hot geothermal wells
This study was performed in order to select a proper fibre for the
application of a distributed temperature sensing system within a hot geothermal
well in Iceland. Commercially available high temperature graded index fibres
have been tested under in-situ temperature conditions. Experiments have been
performed with four different polyimide coated fibres, a fibre with an aluminum
coating and a fibre with a gold coating. To select a fibre, the relationship
between attenuation, temperature, and time has been analyzed together with SEM
micrographs. On the basis of these experiments, polyimide fibres have been
chosen for utilisation. Further tests in ambient and inert atmosphere have been
conducted with two polyimide coated fibres to set an operating temperature
limit for these fibres. SEM micrographs, together with coating colour changes
have been used to characterize the high temperature performance of the fibres.
A novel cable design has been developed, a deployment strategy has been worked
out and a suitable well for deployment has been selected.Comment: PACS: 42.81.Pa, 93.85.Fg, 47.80.Fg, 91.35.Dc, 07.20.Dt, 07.60.V
Black Hole Microstates and Attractor Without Supersymmetry
Due to the attractor mechanism, the entropy of an extremal black hole does
not vary continuously as we vary the asymptotic values of various moduli
fields. Using this fact we argue that the entropy of an extremal black hole in
string theory, calculated for a range of values of the asymptotic moduli for
which the microscopic theory is strongly coupled, should match the statistical
entropy of the same system calculated for a range of values of the asymptotic
moduli for which the microscopic theory is weakly coupled. This argument does
not rely on supersymmetry and applies equally well to nonsupersymmetric
extremal black holes. We discuss several examples which support this argument
and also several caveats which could invalidate this argument.Comment: 50 pages; references adde
Moduli and (un)attractor black hole thermodynamics
We investigate four-dimensional spherically symmetric black hole solutions in
gravity theories with massless, neutral scalars non-minimally coupled to gauge
fields. In the non-extremal case, we explicitly show that, under the variation
of the moduli, the scalar charges appear in the first law of black hole
thermodynamics. In the extremal limit, the near horizon geometry is
and the entropy does not depend on the values of moduli at
infinity. We discuss the attractor behaviour by using Sen's entropy function
formalism as well as the effective potential approach and their relation with
the results previously obtained through special geometry method. We also argue
that the attractor mechanism is at the basis of the matching between the
microscopic and macroscopic entropies for the extremal non-BPS Kaluza-Klein
black hole.Comment: 36 pages, no figures, V2: minor changes, misprints corrected,
expanded references; V3: sections 4.3 and 4.5 added; V4: minor changes,
matches the published versio
SAM Lectures on Extremal Black Holes in d=4 Extended Supergravity
We report on recent results in the study of extremal black hole attractors in
N=2, d=4 ungauged Maxwell-Einstein supergravities. For homogeneous symmetric
scalar manifolds, the three general classes of attractor solutions with
non-vanishing Bekenstein-Hawking entropy are discussed. They correspond to
three (inequivalent) classes of orbits of the charge vector, which sits in the
relevant symplectic representation R_{V} of the U-duality group. Other than the
1/2-BPS one, there are two other distinct non-BPS classes of charge orbits, one
of which has vanishing central charge. The complete classification of the
U-duality orbits, as well as of the moduli spaces of non-BPS attractors
(spanned by the scalars which are not stabilized at the black hole event
horizon), is also reviewed. Finally, we consider the analogous classification
for N>2-extended, d=4 ungauged supergravities, in which also the 1/N-BPS
attractors yield a related moduli space.Comment: 1+29 pages, 8 Tables. Contribution to the Proceedings of the School
on Attractor Mechanism 2007 (SAM2007), June 18--22 2007, INFN--LNF, Frascati,
Ital
A randomised controlled trial to investigate the use of acute coronary syndrome therapy in patients hospitalised with COVID-19: the C19-ACS trial
BACKGROUND: Patients hospitalised with COVID-19 suffer thrombotic complications. Risk factors for poor outcomes are shared with coronary artery disease. OBJECTIVES: To investigate efficacy of an acute coronary syndrome regimen in patients hospitalised with COVID-19 and coronary disease risk factors. PATIENTS/METHODS: A randomised controlled open-label trial across acute hospitals (UK and Brazil) added aspirin, clopidogrel, low-dose rivaroxaban, atorvastatin, and omeprazole to standard care for 28-days. Primary efficacy and safety outcomes were 30-day mortality and bleeding. The key secondary outcome was a daily clinical status (at home, in hospital, on intensive therapy unit admission, death). RESULTS: 320 patients from 9 centres were randomised. The trial terminated early due to low recruitment. At 30 days there was no significant difference in mortality (intervention: 11.5% vs control: 15%, unadjusted OR 0.73, 95%CI 0.38 to 1.41, p=0.355). Significant bleeds were infrequent and not significantly different between the arms (intervention: 1.9% vs control 1.9%, p>0.999). Using a Bayesian Markov longitudinal ordinal model, it was 93% probable that intervention arm participants were more likely to transition to a better clinical state each day (OR 1.46, 95% CrI 0.88 to 2.37, Pr(Beta>0)=93%; adjusted OR 1.50, 95% CrI 0.91 to 2.45, Pr(Beta>0)=95%) and median time to discharge home was two days shorter (95% CrI -4 to 0, 2% probability that it was worse). CONCLUSIONS: Acute coronary syndrome treatment regimen was associated with a reduction in the length of hospital stay without an excess in major bleeding. A larger trial is needed to evaluate mortality
Vascular endothelial growth factor-A165b is protective and restores endothelial glycocalyx in diabetic nephropathy
Diabetic nephropathy is the leading cause of ESRD in high-income countries and a growing problem across the world. Vascular endothelial growth factor-A (VEGF-A) is thought to be a critical mediator of vascular dysfunction in diabetic nephropathy, yet VEGF-A knockout and overexpression of angiogenic VEGF-A isoforms each worsen diabetic nephropathy. We examined the vasculoprotective effects of the VEGF-A isoform VEGF-A165b in diabetic nephropathy. Renal expression of VEGF-A165b mRNA was upregulated in diabetic individuals with well preserved kidney function, but not in those with progressive disease. Reproducing this VEGF-A165b upregulation in mouse podocytes in vivo prevented functional and histologic abnormalities in diabetic nephropathy. Biweekly systemic injections of recombinant human VEGF-A165b reduced features of diabetic nephropathy when initiated during early or advanced nephropathy in a model of type 1 diabetes and when initiated during early nephropathy in a model of type 2 diabetes. VEGF-A165b normalized glomerular permeability through phosphorylation of VEGF receptor 2 in glomerular endothelial cells, and reversed diabetes-induced damage to the glomerular endothelial glycocalyx. VEGF-A165b also improved the permeability function of isolated diabetic human glomeruli. These results show that VEGF-A165b acts via the endothelium to protect blood vessels and ameliorate diabetic nephropathy
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